(Un)affordable

Arizona has a reputation for being an affordable place to live. But that's not the case anymore. Rent prices in the Phoenix area are rising about twice as fast as the national average. And with around 200 people moving to Maricopa County every day, demand for housing keeps rising. In this podcast we explore the obstacles that are making the cost of housing in Phoenix harder and harder for many residents to afford.

Episode 1: The Perfect Storm

Chanel Sinclair
Single mom Chanel Sinclair moved to Arizona to take care of her sister, who has chronic health problems. While housing in the Phoenix area was cheaper than it had been for her in California, Sinclair still found it difficult to afford housing.
Resources
  • Joan Serviss
    Joan Serviss, executive director of the Arizona Housing Coalition, says there's not enough funding for affordable housing in the state to keep up with the rate of population growth.
  • Site of luxury apartment construction
    A sign in central Phoenix advertises new luxury apartments coming in 2020. The majority of new housing being built in Phoenix is market rate, while the city's shortage of low-income housing has become one of the most severe in the country.

How did the Phoenix area develop one of the most severe affordable housing shortages in the country? In part one of this five-part podcast, host Katherine Davis-Young introduces us to Chanel Sinclair, a hardworking single mom in the Phoenix area who has found it difficult to afford rent even with a full-time job. Chanel is not alone in her struggles, and some of the challenges that make housing unaffordable for Arizonans like Chanel date back all the way to the founding of Phoenix. 

Contributor
Katherine Davis-Young
Producers
Katherine Davis-Young