MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County is launching a pilot program intended to help tenants avoid getting evicted.
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The new eviction diversion initiative will target Phoenix zip codes with the highest number of eviction filings and attempt to identify residents at risk of being evicted.
County officials said the program will involve collaboration from the justice courts, landlords and community partners to find an alternative solution to an eviction.
“For three straight years, Maricopa County Justice Courts have processed more than 80,000 eviction filings. That’s 80,000 individuals or families on the brink of homelessness each year, at a time when that population is already high,” Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee said in a statement.
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The program was modeled after the Texas Eviction Diversion Program and will involve a partnership with the City of Phoenix.
In 2024, the county reported breaking a 19-year record for eviction filings after 87,197 evictions were filed throughout that year, surpassing a previous record set in 2005.
The county also facilitates a rental assistance program for county households located outside the boundaries of Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale.
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*Editor’s Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast*