Arizona may redirect some rent-relief dollars to urban areas

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona, striving to avoid losing unspent federal pandemic relief dollars for rental aid for rural areas, is moving to reallocate some of the funding to urban areas. The Arizona Republic reports that a plan being developed  by the state Department of Economic Security is expected to provide more money to programs in metro Phoenix and Tucson that have spent high percentages of their own federal funding to help renters and landlords. DES spokesperson Tasya Peterson said the state knew when it received the $315 million for aid for rural areas that it was more than what was needed to help Arizona’s rural renters.