Over the last week, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero all touted efforts to promote affordable housing for Arizonans across the Grand Canyon State.
Governor Hobbs, along with Mayor Woods and a bipartisan group of legislators and housing activists, held a signing ceremony at the State Capitol to usher in bipartisan affordable housing legislation designed to, in the Governor’s words, “make the dream of owning a home a reality for so many working Arizonans.”
Starting off by referencing her experiences growing up, as a social worker, and parent, the Governor stated that:
“Housing is a really critical foundation for providing stability security and opportunity for a better life for all Arizonans. I think about when I was a kid and talking to my parents about home ownership and those conversations are so different right now with my own children. I remember it was really a question of when, not if, I would be able to purchase a home and that is out of reach for so many Arizonans these days and not just home purchases but affording rents. I grew up in an Arizona where home ownership was attainable for a Middle-Class, Arizona who put in the hard work and saved up their dollars…”
“As Governor, I promised to lower costs for Arizonans, and making sure that Arizonans are not priced out of housing has been a top priority of my Administration.”
“I’m really proud to share the progress that we’ve made and outline a clear vision for the future when it comes to affordable housing in Arizona.”
The Governor then highlighted the four measures she would later sign. Those were:
- House Bill (HB) 2720 that legalized casitas
- HB 2721 concerns duplexes and triplexes and addresses the affordable housing shortages there.
- HB2297 “encourages commercial to residential conversions.”
- Senate Bill (SB) 1162 “streamlines the zoning process and requires cities to measure housing needs.”
While saying “Each of these bills gets us a step closer to where we need to be, a lot more needs to be done and our work continues.”
Citing the diverse group of legislators and activists behind her that came together to support one or more of the four bills, the Governor went on to say:
“We have every intention of continuing to work towards more meaningful changes this upcoming year… I know we’re going to have some more tough fights coming up on housing legislation…I have made it clear that I expect people to be at the table to work through and get to compromise solutions that work for all the stakeholders and all Arizonans.”
Hobbs then praised the success of the Housing Trust Fund over the last year with a $150 million deposit and additional funding this year, stating that with those monies “We were able to build affordable housing across the state” including “over 3,000 affordable and transitional housing units across the state in just one year and there is more on the way.
The Governor continued with “This 150 million dollar deposit also helped us launch the Arizona is Home Mortgage Assistance Program through which 200 Arizona families have already secured their first time home.”
Hobbs closed with:
“This is why these kinds of Investments matter. We have to prioritize direct help to those who need it the most and I am hopeful that we can continue to sustain this mortgage assistance program for first-time home buyers. Everyone you’ve seen here today played a huge role in these achievements. It shows you what’s possible when we focus on the people, not just the buildings or the policies. We are working to build an affordable Arizona for everyone and I’m so proud to have these partners…”
After the event, the Governor and her team posted on social media.
After her remarks, the Governor introduced Tempe Mayor Corey Woods who first thanked the Governor and those assembled for their leadership in addressing affordable housing in Arizona.
The Mayor, like Hobbs before him, described the issue facing Grand Canyon state residents.
“So ensuring that everybody can find a safe affordable place to live is the top priority for our state. Rental prices in Arizona increased dramatically over the last six years by more than 50% from 2017 to 2023 and wages did not keep up with that.”
Saying “Some new Solutions are necessary to create more affordable housing throughout our state,” Woods contended that “For people to have the best quality of life, they need to be able to pay less than 30 percent of their earnings for their housing and utilities. When that happens, they can save money, invest in their families, and prepare for emergencies that come up. Affordable housing also reduces homelessness and creates economically stable households.”
Citing the Governor’s mortgage assistance program, Mayor Woods highlighted the launch of the Tempe equivalent, noting that “In 2021 Tempe launched our Hometown for All Housing Initiative which helps our city to purchase or redevelop properties to create new affordable housing. We dedicate 50% of certain permitting fees paid to the city to affordable and workforce housing development and accept donations as well. So far, the city has raised nearly 11 million dollars to develop new housing in our community. Furthermore, over the past year, we received more than 12 million dollars from Maricopa County and the federal government to further grow our affordable and workforce housing stock. This money will create hundreds of new attainable units in Tempe and we’re grateful to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors as well as Congressman Greg Stanton for all of their efforts.”
The Mayor closed by stressing the need for more action, asserting that:
“We need a collective effort from all levels of government who are working together with the private sector to target resources and ensure worthy projects are approved in a timely manner because Arizonans need solutions now.”
“As Vice-chair of the US Conference of Mayor’s Committee on Community Development and Housing. I know that cities around Arizona and the country what a voice in developing future housing legislation around this critical topic and we look forward to staying involved in the process and sharing concerns from our collective communities. We appreciate once again, that Governor Hobbs has made housing a top priority this past legislative session, and I know she’s going to continue to do so. Legislation, like the bills being celebrated today, will ease the pressure on Arizona’s affordable housing market. We also look forward to the 2025 session when we work with the Governor and the legislature to build on this work and find new innovative ways to support affordable and workforce housing development in our state.”
Two of Arizona’s other leading Mayors also shared news regarding affordable housing this week.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego participated in an affordable senior housing strategy session with other activists including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
She also announced the creation of DePaul Manor, a city partnership with St. Vincent DePaul to provide beds and shelter for 100 people “including older adults and people living with disabilities.”
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, in her weekly Mayoral message, cited the affordable housing progress, made possible, in part by Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding at Sugar Hill on Stone.
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