Dec. 8, 2022

UArizona Poverty in Tucson workshop to host community forum

  • What: University of Arizona Community Forum: Poverty and Eviction Prevention in Pima County
  • When: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • Where: Habitat for Humanity Tucson, 3501 N. Mountain Ave.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona School of Sociology will host its sixth Poverty in Tucson Community Forum after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Students from the 2022 Poverty in Tucson Field Workshop will present the results of their semester-long efforts to collect data from low-income households across Tucson.

The students interviewed 276 low-income individuals in Pima County on the topics of affordable housing, finances, food insecurity, community resources, mental health and child care.

This is an important time to examine the ongoing needs of low-income individuals in Pima County, said sociology professor Brian Mayer. Many housing insecure residents received unprecedented levels of rental assistance from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the moratorium on evictions ended Aug. 26, 2021, and rents increased an average of 30% in 2022.

"Many vulnerable residents in Pima County are finding themselves in a shifting landscape of resources," Mayer said. "As the Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds dry up and costs of housing, utilities and food increase, low-income households are facing challenges in accessing affordable housing, food, child care and utilities."

The Poverty in Tucson Field Workshop is a student-powered project to help better understand poverty and poverty reduction efforts in Pima County. Since 2015, the workshop has worked in partnership with the City of Tucson, Pima County and local nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity Tucson, to better understand how low-income residents are "getting by" in greater Tucson.

The community forum is free and open to the public.

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Media contacts:
Brian Mayer
School of Sociology
520-626-2190
brianmayer@email.arizona.edu

Lori Harwood
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
520-626-3846
harwoodl@arizona.edu