The number of eviction filings in Maricopa County surged last month, hitting a 14-year-high and leaving more than 6,400 people out of their homes.
The Maricopa County Justice Court released the data earlier this month — the second month in a row that the number of evictions here has reached pre-pandemic levels.
During the pandemic, there was an eviction moratorium in place, and the federal government invested a lot of money in helping people stay in their homes. And even before that, Maricopa County had some of the highest levels of evictions in the country.
At the same time, we’re seeing rental prices rising in the Valley, creating an even more difficult situation for many Arizonans.
To find out more about what’s being done — and what could be done — to help ease evictions here, The Show spoke with Cynthia Zwick and Maxine Becker with local nonprofit Wildfire, which works to fight poverty.