Local opinion: A studio apartment costs how much?

Being a resident in Pima County is hard. Wages are lower, the weather is hotter and housing is getting more expensive by the day. These challenges are exacerbated by an alarming eviction rate in Pima County, standing at five times the national average.

Although many people may say this is a product of a low work ethic, there are many other factors at play. One such factor is the geographical aspect: being born in Pima County inherently translates to a lower income potential compared to being born, for instance, in Maricopa County.

Affordable rent in Pima County is almost impossible to find, and rents are constantly increasing. People are working multiple jobs just to keep a roof over their heads (much less being able to afford groceries). Families are struggling to keep consistent and safe living conditions for their children. The fear of eviction is a constant thought in many individuals’ lives.

Pima County tried to combat the issue of rent increases and evictions by creating the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) as a form of housing assistance to low-income households in Tucson. ERAP offered lump assistance payments to help low-income households stay afloat. However, this program expired recently in October 2023, and regrettably, its successor does not extend assistance to individuals who have previously benefited from ERAP support.

This is unacceptable. With rents increasing every day and families facing imminent evictions, it is heartbreaking to hear these stories and not be able to help. COVID was a great learning opportunity for housing assistance programs because evictions were at an all-time low.

This means that it is something we can and have done before, so why stop?

As an interviewer for the Tucson Poverty Project (a community study at the University of Arizona), I encountered a gentleman who shared his life story. Renting a room for $1,300 a month, he struggles to make weekly payments on his full-time job income.

This story is both heartbreaking and outrageous, emphasizing the urgent need for regulations in a market where exorbitant rents go unchecked.

Another factor to consider is that it is very difficult to find new housing with an eviction on one’s record. More often than not, landlords are hesitant about renting to people with evictions on their records. This causes families to move in with their friends and crowd together or potentially live on the streets. Getting an eviction removed from your record can be very difficult, making these housing issues persist even longer.

Housing instability has other effects as well. Often, individuals who are unable to have access to consistent housing also have more health issues. Individuals who have inconsistent living situations are more prone to conditions like anxiety and depression- making it that much harder for them to get back on their feet.

Hearing all of these stories and looking at all of this evidence is really difficult but it does a great job of showing just how important keeping housing affordable is. Although there is no way to introduce rent control in Pima County, there are some other viable solutions.

In Arizona, Representative Analise Ortiz created a bill to repeal the law preventing rent caps, and Representative Judy Schwiebert created a bill to prevent rents from increasing more than 10% each year (often referred to as a rent cap). These bills have sat untouched since January of this year.

The only way to help housing stay affordable is to continuously advocate for policies like these. I am urging our community to unite in advocating for a reconsideration of Representatives Ortiz and Schwienbert’s bills. This is a step in the right direction to help keep housing affordable here in Pima County. I firmly believe that housing is a human right, and ensuring its affordability keeps our people safe.