More than 1,200 people got housing through Maricopa County landlord incentive program
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Maricopa County reports a $5 million investment made last year has now helped more than 1,200 people find permanent housing.
Homelessness in Maricopa County has increased 50% in the last five years. Since 2021, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has directed more than $500 million, largely from federal pandemic relief funds, toward housing and homelessness solutions.
The Board of Supervisors in spring 2022 approved $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to launch a new program called Threshold.
Jacqueline Edwards, director of the county’s Human Services Department, told KJZZ News the idea was to create incentives for landlords to offer housing to people who may have past evictions, a criminal record, or who are using a rapid rehousing voucher to cover rent.
“They might be accepting people who have experienced homelessness, but that do not have income currently," Edwards said. “The Threshold program works with property managers and owners so that they feel comfortable working with these folks as we help them get on their feet as they’re exiting homelessness.”
A little more than a year later, more than 400 landlords across 16 cities have participated and the county hopes to continue to grow the program. The Board of Supervisors recently pledged an additional $2.5 million in federal funds to keep the incentives available through at least summer 2025.
