Evictions surge in Phoenix as rising rents spark housing crisis

When Mahogany Kennedy knocks on a door in Phoenix, Arizona, it usually means someone is about to become homeless. As one of 26 Maricopa County police officers, her job is to serve eviction notices.

“The number of evictions has really increased over the last few months,” Kennedy said. “… Every day I do evictions, five days a week.

In the Phoenix area, evictions are reaching record highs. Since March of last year, Maricopa County has led the nation in the number of eviction filings.

In a single day of work, Kennedy attempted to carry out three evictions, including one involving a three-bedroom apartment where seven people lived. Resident Heavyn Glascow was the last to leave.

“Everything is so expensive right now, it’s crazy,” Glascow said.

In her South Phoenix courtroom, Judge Anna Huberman says she’s hearing up to 500 eviction cases a month, more than she did just after Pandemic-era eviction moratorium ends three years ago.

“We thought there would be a lot of eviction filings, that evictions would increase, but they didn’t increase. There wasn’t a tsunami,” Huberman said.

But now things are different.

Evictions increased 21% in Maricopa County, surpassing 83,000 filings in 2023, officials said.

About 3.6 million eviction notices are filed each year nationwide, but what’s changing is where they’re happening, according to Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, which tracks the problem in 34 cities. At least 14 cities have seen double-digit increases in evictions since 2019. Most are in the Sun Belt, where populations are growing and rents are rising.

“It’s parents and children who are at the heart of the eviction crisis,” said Dr. Carl Gershenson, who directs the Eviction Lab. “These families are one unexpected expense away from eviction.”

Kristopher Aranda lived with his girlfriend in Phoenix for seven years. The lease was in his name when she lost her battle with cancer in January. After being out of work for months to care for her, Aranda says he couldn’t come up with the $3,000 needed to stay.

Still grieving, an emotional Aranda said he had “no idea” where he was going to go.

“I had to start from scratch,” he said.

And as Aranda starts again, Constable Kennedy walks to another door with another eviction order.