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Recently the kickoff of the Arizona Legislative Session happened, a session that will undoubtedly be a party to vigorous debates surrounding matters of policy and legislation regarding education, voting rights and healthcare among others, the outcomes of which are of great importance with the ability to impact the lives of Arizonans for generations. There is no doubt that there is a need to keep an eye on the legislature and its policy outcomes in this 2020 session. While the eyes on the back of your head should be on the members and decisions of the various local Boards and Commissions.

 

As I imagine most readers are aware,  Boards and Commissions can be found at the city, county and state levels with a wide range of purposes and goals. Boards and Commissions make decisions and policies which also impact the lives and futures of Arizonans. One such Board is the Phoenix Residential Investment Development Effort which was created in 1989 with the purpose of assisting in community efforts to provide affordable housing within the Phoenix Corporation limits in conjunction with the City of Phoenix Housing Department. The importance of this board, in particular, is that Arizona is facing an affordable housing crisis, especially in the City of Phoenix. There is no one particular cause of the affordable housing crisis as they range from an increase in rental prices, a lack of income wages to legislative policy that restricts the zoning policy regarding affordable housing.  

 

While it is difficult to pinpoint the direct cause or even remedy to the affordable housing crisis, it is not difficult to pinpoint the effects of not having affordable housing. Some risks of not having affordable housing associated with increased health problems, poor educational school performance  and lifelong anxiety/depression  There is not an easy solution to this problem, but it does contribute to long-term ones. Again, legislation and policy is critical to be updated and informed on, but it is also a necessity to keep an eye on all avenues of which decisions on those issues are being made and who is making them. 


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