Arizona’s housing and homelessness challenges don’t start at the street—they start much earlier. Thousands of Arizonans are one setback away from losing their housing due to eviction, aging out of foster care, leaving treatment, or exiting other systems without a stable place to land. Others are stuck cycling between shelters, couches, and temporary programs because there aren’t enough affordable homes or the right supports to help people move forward.
At the same time, Arizona faces a severe shortage of housing affordable to the people with the lowest incomes, while the services that help keep people housed are under growing strain.
The Arizona Housing Coalition’s 2026 legislative agenda focuses on preventing housing loss, strengthening the homelessness response, and expanding and preserving affordable housing, recognizing that progress requires action across all three—not one at the expense of the others.
We have identified the items below as our 2026 legislative priorities.
Affordable Housing
Purpose: Increase the supply and preservation of affordable housing across Arizona, with a focus on long-term stability and efficient use of public resources.
- State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
- Support renewal and continuation of Arizona’s State LIHTC program.
- Educate policymakers on LIHTC’s role in leveraging private capital and reducing long-term public costs.
- Housing Trust Fund
- Advocate for increased and sustained funding for the State Housing Trust Fund.
- Support flexible use that allows for development, preservation, and service-linked housing.
- Preservation of Existing Affordable Housing
- Advance tools to preserve federally and state-assisted housing at risk of affordability expiration.
- Advance protections that allow mobile and manufactured home residents the opportunity to purchase their community when it is put up for sale, preserving long-term affordability and housing stability.
- State and Local Financing Tools
- Explore Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) incentives tied to long-term affordability covenants.
- Support use of public land, infrastructure tools, and local financing strategies that lower development costs.
Prevention
Purpose: Prevent housing instability and homelessness before they occur by strengthening early-intervention tools.
- Eviction Prevention
- Support targeted rental assistance paired with housing stabilization services.
- Advance access to mediation aid or peer support in eviction proceedings.
- Explore reasonable extensions to cure periods that prevent unnecessary displacement.
- Systems Exit Prevention
- Support housing-linked prevention strategies for individuals exiting foster care, behavioral health systems, and corrections.
- Coordination with Courts and Local Systems
- Improve coordination between justice courts, service providers, and housing resources to prevent avoidable evictions.
Homeless Reponse
Purpose: Strengthen Arizona’s homelessness response system to be coordinated, accountable, and adaptable amid federal shifts.
- Statewide Homelessness Data & Coordination
- Support development of a statewide homelessness dashboard that aligns funding, outcomes, and system capacity across CoCs and agencies.
- Balanced Housing Interventions
- Protect existing Permanent Supportive Housing while supporting appropriate use of transitional housing and interim solutions.
- Gap and Bridge Supports
- Advocate for flexible funding that allows people to move efficiently through the system and avoid returns to homelessness.
- Alignment with Health and Human Services
- Ensure homelessness response strategies are aligned with AHCCCS, behavioral health, and child welfare systems to improve outcomes and reduce system strain.