More Low- and Middle-Income Families Embrace ‘Arizona is Home’

Affordable housing plays a crucial role in ensuring a high quality of life for residents in Arizona. It serves as a foundation for economic stability, enables families to grow roots in their communities, and fosters the kind of environments that evolve positively over generations.

Over the past decade, Arizona has witnessed a troubling decline in affordable housing options, evolving into a widespread crisis. High eviction rates and an increasingly visible homeless population—particularly among retirement-age individuals living on fixed incomes—are now the stark realities confronting many communities.

The scars left by the housing market downturn following the Great Recession linger. The imbalance between housing supply and demand has reached a critical level, with economists labeling it as unprecedented. The Phoenix metropolitan area is expected to welcome up to a million new residents in this decade alone, intensifying demands on a housing market that struggled to construct new homes at half the previous decade’s rate.

Corporate interests have seized upon this housing shortfall, influencing the market in ways that squeeze most Arizonans out of affordable home ownership. In 2021, an alarming one-third of the state’s single-family homes were sold to corporate investors, often through cash offers that ordinary families simply couldn’t match.

While a singular solution eludes policymakers, efforts such as the $13 million “Arizona is Home” initiative aim to address the crisis by enhancing down payment assistance and mortgage rate relief for low- and moderate-income families. This initiative represents a collective response to a challenge exacerbated by both corporate greed and rapid population growth.

Since its inception in 1975, Trellis has dedicated itself to facilitating access to homeownership resources like financial counseling and development initiatives. Designated by Governor Katie Hobbs, Trellis is one of just two home lending organizations collaborating with Arizona’s Department of Housing to expand homeownership opportunities.

Under the new program, first-time homebuyers earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) can receive up to $30,000, while those earning between 81% and 120% of AMI can access up to $20,000. Eligibility requires participants to complete a HUD-approved homebuyer education course and work with Trellis or another certified agency.

These funds are versatile, enabling down payments, interest rate buy-downs, and other closing costs. They may be combined with additional mortgage assistance options, including competitive 30-year fixed rate mortgages through AZIDA’s HOME Plus network focused on the state’s 13 smaller counties.

This initiative is transforming the landscape of homeownership for low- to middle-income residents across both urban and rural areas, striving to ensure that housing remains accessible for everyone. The “Arizona is Home” program emphasizes how effective governance can collaborate with community organizations to create impactful solutions to Arizona’s most pressing issues.