Tucson Standard

The Pima County Emergency Eviction Legal Services Program has earned an "award of excellence" by the National Association for County Community and Economic Development.

The program, which offers resources to find housing as well as offering help finding legal representation in court for those facing eviction, is financed by COVID-19 relief funds, and has formed a partnership with other organizations in order to offer housing or rent assistance.

"Rent and utility assistance, work force development services youth services and offer everything we can to help them holistically," Andy Flagg, deputy director of workforce development, explained in a story by KGUN.

For some, like Shirley Rasmus of Tucson, eviction became a threat when her rent increased, but her SSI payments didn't.

"I get $841 SSI, and my rent went from $744 to $960," she said. "I can't get that out of $841; that’s why I got evicted.”

The program began in August 2021 and has helped more than 200 people be represented in court during eviction hearings, as opposed to 79 in 2020, the story stated. Rasmus was relieved after learning about the program from a neighbor at a time when she didn't expect anyone to help her.

"Once she told me about them, the next thing I know they were calling me," Rasmus the Eviction Legal Services Program. "And it went just like that – a miracle. It really was a miracle."

Rasmus was in real danger of being homeless before the Eviction Legal Services team intervened, she said.

“I was so scared because of my cats," she added. "If it wasn’t for them, we would be homeless, because today was the last day."

The point of the program, Flagg said - and why it's been honored with a national excellence award - is that it operates to find or keep a roof over the client's head.

"We’re trying to do everything that we can to prevent all evictions that are preventable and for those that aren’t we will do everything to keep folks sheltered," he said.