Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Arizona Edition: New Report Highlights Challenges for Renters in Yuma County

Ways To Subscribe
Arizona Edition

Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy has released a series of reports on housing insecurity focused on six counties in Arizona.

THE BROKEN LINK Experiences of Housing Insecurity in Yuma County is one of them.

Through interviews and focus groups, researchers sought to find out how people living in Yuma County were experiencing the rental and housing markets.

It’s a timely question – since 2020 rent and housing costs have increased more than they did the previous five years combined in Yuma County.

Wages have gone up but add in inflation across the board for everything from food and gas to childcare and utilities, making rent and mortgage payments is a challenge for people.

42 percent of renters in Yuma County struggle with this and nearly 25 percent of the homeowners.

That struggle is part of the definition of housing insecurity.

Liza C Kurtz is a research analyst at the Morrison Institute. We spoke to her about The Broken Link and what they learned from Yuma County residents, and what can be done about it.

Lou grew up in Tucson and has a long family history in the state of Arizona. He began his public radio career in 1988 at KNAU in Flagstaff as a classical music DJ and has been hooked on public radio since, transitioning to news after trying his hand at several other careers in publishing and commercial broadcasting. Lou has a degree in American Studies from Arizona State University and was KAWC's Morning Edition host for two and half years before becoming News and Operations Director.
Latest Episodes