Arizona Republic: Arizona Has a Housing Crisis. Here’s How Gov.-Elect Katie Hobbs Plans To Solve It
Experts praise Hobbsâ plans to build more affordable housing, lower costs, and create a more equitable Arizona
PHOENIX â Today in the Arizona Republic, experts praised Governor-Elect Katie Hobbsâ housing plan and highlighted the many ways it will tackle Arizonaâs housing crisis in a methodical, forward-looking, and compassionate manner.
Arizona should be the best place to live, work, and raise a family, but one thing in particular has a disproportionate impact on Arizonaâs rising costs: housing. As Governor-Elect Hobbs spotlighted throughout her campaign and career in social work and public service, access to affordable housing is essential for building long-term prosperity, our workforce, and building strong families to ensure our kids receive a quality education. Thatâs why as Governor, Hobbs will prioritize implementing comprehensive solutions to address this critical issue and help uplift all Arizonans.
Read on for key excerpts from the Arizona Republicâs article:
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âHobbs’ plan proposes encouraging local zoning changes, providing legal aid to families facing eviction and investing in the Housing Trust Fund, which funds affordable housing development and assistance programs, among other strategies. At a Nov. 1 press conference, Hobbs introduced the plan and called housing one of the stateâs âmost urgent problems.ââ
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ââWe canât tackle the housing crisis without tackling skyrocketing costs,â said Hobbs, a Democrat.â
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âHer plan starkly contrasts with former Republican opponent Kari Lakeâs homelessness plan, which sought to expand shelter space and substance use treatment services but also called unsheltered people âdrugged out and derangedâ and encouraged aggressive policing of minor crimes.â
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âJoanna Carr, research and policy director for the Arizona Housing Coalition, said Hobbsâ plan is âsubstantiveâ and âwell thought-out.â âIt provides a lot of hope in the political will, I would say, that the new leadership will bring,â Carr said.â
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âHousing experts praised the planâs emphasis on changing statewide systems, rather than focusing on individual behavior, and appreciated its comprehensive approach to fixing the housing crisis.â
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âWhen coupled with Hobbsâ other plans for making Arizona more affordable and fostering equity, the housing plan âreally has potential to have significant impact in the state,â said Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the anti-poverty nonprofit Wildfire.âCarr, of the Arizona Housing Coalition, said she was excited that the plan aims to once again enable local governments to regulate short-term vacation rentals. It’s an idea, she said, that has been hard to get political leaders behind in the past. She also appreciated the planâs emphasis on cross-sector collaboration and allowing for local government control.â