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Residents urge Phoenix to fund ‘right to counsel’ as budget hearings continue
Summary
Dozens of residents told a Phoenix City Council budget hearing that a funded right-to-counsel program for tenants would prevent evictions, reduce costs to the city and stabilize neighborhoods. Speakers also pressed the council to expand promotion and funding for existing eviction legal services.
Dozens of Phoenix residents used a city budget hearing to press the council to fund a permanent right-to-counsel program that would provide legal representation for tenants facing eviction.
Community members said the city can avoid later social-service costs by preventing displacement. “Preventing evictions is not only the right thing to do, it's the fiscally responsible thing to do,” said Andrea Luna, one of the first public commenters. “Each eviction costs the city tens of thousands of dollars in emergency shelter, health care, policing, and other crisis services.”
Why this matters: speakers said eviction filings in Phoenix are at historically high levels and that tenants rarely have legal representation. Multiple commenters cited local figures — including…
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