TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Over the last year, Missy Arroyo spent the bulk of it with out air conditioning. And therefore, she said she's spent a lot of time repeatedly asking her landlord to fix it — with little to no response from them.
And now, she's in another struggle. This time, not only for the appliances but for the whole apartment. Earlier this month, she was told they landlord wouldn't renew her lease and they were going to evict her.
"For me to fight so hard and then for my daughter to end up losing her home, its disgusting," she said. "I'm fighting this but the paper that was given to me says i have until April 4th."
Evictions are a pattern in this area of north Tucson. According to the Southwest Institute for Research on Women at the University of Arizona, the team put together a report that shows that between March 2023 to February 2024, there is a large number of evictions in the area.
"So you have higher poverty areas, with higher concentration of these lower end units,” Keith Bentele, Associate Research Professor, Southwest Institute for Research on Women. "Rents are higher and income has not increased as much as rent so you have a housing burden."
He said one of the solutions is to support tenants more with education on their rights and create more accessible, affordable housing.
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Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9. She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.giuliano@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
