By Mark Carlisle
Twitter: @mwcarlisle

The city of Phoenix will distribute millions more in federal rental assistance during March and is increasing its coronavirus testing efforts.

Rental assistance

Phoenix was granted $51.1 million in January from the federal government for emergency rental assistance. That money will begin to be distributed to qualifying renters in the city in mid- to late-March, said Deputy City Manager Jeff Barton in last week’s City Council meeting.

City staff is going to return to City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 9, with more details on who will receive that aid. This funding is only for renters and not for mortgage assistance, though it is possible local cities could receive more federal mortgage assistance later in the year.

Councilman Carlos Garcia noted many residents are going without rental assistance on the first of the month today, for the first time in several months. Phoenix had to allocate the last of the $293.3 million in federal assistance the city receive last year in December prior to an end-of-year deadline while waiting for more assistance. The $51.1 million in rental assistance was awarded Tuesday, Jan. 19.

However, it will take some time to determine who is qualified for the new assistance money, which Mr. Barton said comes with stricter qualifications and reporting requirements than last year’s allotment. Mr. Barton said city staff must hire and train more human resources staff in February or early March to help determine which residents qualify for the aid. Those new positions will be paid with 10% of the funding earmarked for administrative services, leaving $46 million to be distributed to Phoenix residents throughout 2021 for rent and utility payments.

Guidelines require all the money to be spent in 2021 and at least 65% of it to be spent by the end of September, or else the city will have to send funds back to the U.S. Treasury.

Income requirements for who can receive the assistance based on area median income. The first priority are residents at 50% or lower of the area median income or who have been unemployed for 90 days. Qualifying residents must re-certify for assistance every three months and Phoenix must send quarterly reports to the federal government.

Testing

Phoenix’s mobile coronavirus testing van has seen a lot more action than city officials anticipated, so the city is adding a second testing van and another testing site at the Maryvale Community Center.

Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. said medical experts consulting with the city recommended Phoenix expand testing. The city also should encourage residents receive vaccinations when they are eligible and to continue to mask, social distance and wash their hands, the experts said.

When the city’s first testing van launched in August, officials anticipated it would test between 250 and 500 people a day. Recently, it has tested more than 1,000 people a day and had several days testing more than 2,000 people, Mr. Dohoney said. The van had tested nearly 120,000 people as of last week’s meeting.

City officials determined a second van was needed to meet demand. The city plans for the new van, which will operate three days per week, to set up for multiple days in highly infected areas.

“That means we’ll go into a red (highly infected) area and instead of a one-day testing, we may be in an area for multiple days because we’re trying to bend the curve,” Mr. Dohoney said.

A new static testing site also will begin at Maryvale Community Center, near 51st Avenue and Campbell Road, which will test three days per week. Mr. Dohoney said this will help to give consistency if residents can’t keep up with the mobile sites’ locations.

City officials did not say when the new testing van or Maryvale Community Center would start testing.

In addition to its existing testing van, the city also has a partnership with testing company Xpress Test in Sky Harbor Airport. There are also county-run and private testing sites in the Valley.

Mark Carlisle can be reached at mcarlisle@newszap.com or found on Twitter @mwcarlisle.

Mark Carlisle
Associate Editor | Phoenix
@mwcarlisle

mcarlisle@iniusa.org

Meet Mark

Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.

Community: Mark enjoys taking his young son to BabyTime at the Phoenix Public Library, to the OdySea Aquarium and to various sporting events around the Valley.

Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.

Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.

 

Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, son and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.