Arizona eviction moratorium about to end, many left scrambling for housing

Resource center braces themselves for more to come

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY/CBS) - Built in 2006, the Justa Center is a resource and day shelter exclusively for seniors (ages 55+) experiencing homelessness. Less than 24 hours after the ban on evictions ended, the center's phone lines filled up with calls for help.

Saturday will see an end to the eviction moratorium in Arizona. The Justa Center has begun taking precaution; doing the best they can to prepare for the weekend, and beyond.

"We're going to see an increase in people coming in for services. We're a seven day-a-week operation…So it's going to task my staff," shares Justa Center Executive Director Wendy Johnson.

Justa Center staff doesn't expect everyone to wind up on the street immediately because the eviction process can take up to several weeks. However, since the shelter has been sought out increasingly in the last day, they can only image how many people will soon be seeking relief too.

Johnson continues, "They have nowhere to sleep, and they have no place to move to. I get four or five inquiries a day for people looking for low-income senior housing; and there just isn't any available."

Many blame limited home options in the area. According to the Grand Canyon Institute, lack of housing is not the only issue. The institute found that there are an increasing amount of legal hurdles people with prior evictions must face.

"Landlords look at your past records, and if you have an eviction, it's sort of like having a car accident…the fact that it makes your rates go up. It's really a problem; and it's going to be a problem for tens of thousands, likley as a consequence of the end of the eviction moratorium," says Grand Canyon Institute Research Director Dave Wells.

Per the latest census household pulse survey, nearly 140,000 Arizonans are currently behind on rent. Johnson and Wells expect eviction rates to dramatically increase within the next two months.