Basic Needs & Supports
Basic Needs & Supports
In a wealthy democracy, nutritious food, stable housing, quality healthcare, and other household needs should not be out-of-reach for those with lower incomes or experiencing poverty.
The Arizona Center for Economic Progress pushes governments at all levels to guarantee access to these essential elements of human well-being for all residents. Having the basics allows Arizonans to reach their full potential, improves living standards, and shores up the State’s economy.
How Cuts to Utility Assistance Threaten Arizonans in Extreme Heat
In April of this year, the Trump administration fired all staff managing the federal Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). As Arizona has temperatures of over 100 degrees, the President’s FY 2026…
Housing in Arizona: Policy Priorities in the Misinformation Age
Population and Homelessness Homelessness in Arizona has increased substantially since the 2020 pandemic. Estimates come from annual Point in Time (PIT) counts, local counts of temporarily sheltered or unsheltered individuals…
Arizonans Deserve Policy Solutions in Affordable Housing Crisis
As evictions uproot families and communities at record amounts in Maricopa County, Arizonans must ask when their state will step in to help. It’s no secret that Arizona is facing a considerable affordable housing shortage….
Congressional Proposal Would Put 923,400 Children, Seniors, and Arizonans with Disabilities at Risk of Hunger
923,400 people in Arizona who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could be at risk of going hungry if Congress moves forward with a plan to cut $230 billion or more from the program over nearly…
Tariffs Are a Hidden Tax on Arizona Families
The Trump administration’s newly imposed tariffs aren’t just a misguided trade policy—they’re a tax hike on hardworking Arizona families. Tariffs are often sold as a way to protect American industries, but in reality,…
Restoring Child-Only TANF assistance for children living with informal kinship caregivers prevents DCS involvement and makes good fiscal sense
For every one child raised by kin in foster care in Arizona, eight children are being raised by kin outside of foster care. During the Great Recession, our state cut Child-only Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)…
Big Win! Final Public Charge Rule Announced
Last week, the Biden Administration announced changes to immigration rules that disproportionately harm low-income people of color. The changes repeal and replace extreme and discriminatory changes to the Public Charge…
Arizona should use its surplus to invest in the future, not in another tax giveaway.
As Arizona’s economy continues its rapid recovery and expansion—in large part thanks to federal relief legislation that kept families afloat and businesses open—Arizona’s state revenues have skyrocketed, resulting…
The better the bill, the harder it falls
This year, state lawmakers in Arizona introduced nearly 1700 pieces of legislation. Committee chairs, using their power through rules and deadlines, select which bills receive a hearing for consideration. Every year many…
ProPublica feature strengthens case for improving cash assistance in Arizona
Recent reporting from ProPublica and the Arizona Republic has vividly depicted the consequences of the Arizona state government’s approach to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. As ProPublica documents…
Flat Tax Exacerbates Inequalities for Households of Color
Arizona’s elected leaders have created a tax code that is upside down and regressive– meaning that those with low incomes pay a much higher share of their income in taxes compared to Arizona’s highest income earners….
Statement on Governor Ducey’s Termination of Temporary Unemployment Protections
Today, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced he would end temporary pandemic unemployment assistance. Rather than listening to workers, addressing root causes of unemployment, and enabling people to pursue jobs that provide…
American Rescue Plan will provide much needed boost for Arizona
The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden last week, is a major victory for Arizonans. A year into the pandemic, this legislation provides much-needed relief to struggling households and…
What did the Arizona legislature miss this year?
This year, state lawmakers in Arizona introduced more than 1,800 pieces of legislation. Committee chairs, using their power through rules and deadlines, select which bills receive a hearing for consideration. Every year…
The Effect of Pandemic EBT on Measures of Food Hardship
In the spring of 2020, 55 million school-age children were not in school and tens of millions lost access to school-based nutrition assistance programs. To alleviate the effects of lost daily school meals and to help households…
Tens of thousands of Arizona households have already missed rent payments during COVID-19
The recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has made it clear that Arizona remains stuck in a public health and economic emergency. As the expiration dates for expanded unemployment benefits through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,…
SNAP is the anti-hunger tool Arizona needs now
As the per-capita rate of COVID-19 in Arizona remains one of the highest in the US, the public health and economic emergency continues to disrupt workplaces. Many workers continue to experience reduced hours, furlough, or…
Unemployment insurance is an effective, necessary boost for Arizona’s workers and businesses
As the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on workplaces rages on with additional workplace shutdowns in Arizona, tens of thousands of Arizonans will continue to file for unemployment insurance (UI) every week. Yet, unemployed…
Arizona’s workers need unemployment insurance reform — now
In Arizona, as in much of the county, the economic shockwaves from COVID-19 have exacerbated vulnerabilities for workers. As businesses shutter and employees are sent home, the unemployment rate in Arizona rose to 12.6% in…
Increase Food Assistance Now
Job loss and reductions to income related to COVID-19 have put a strain on family budgets. A new national survey from the Urban Institute found that 3 in 10 nonelderly adults have reduced spending on food, with nearly half…
We Need to Protect Arizona’s Tenants
In 2018, before COVID-19 and its economic fallout, nearly 9 in 10 Arizonan households with extremely low incomes spent more than half of their income on housing—leaving little room for emergency expenses. Many low-income,…
Senate Farm Bill is the Way Forward for SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is a key tool that keeps working families economically secure. SNAP participants include hard working families, unemployed workers who fell…
