Homeless Prevention Resources in Phoenix: How to Avoid Losing Your Housing

By Common Ladder · May 29, 2026 · 5 min read

If you're behind on rent, facing an eviction notice, or about to have your utilities shut off, call 211 first. Dial 2-1-1 from any phone (or visit 211arizona.org). A live operator can match you to the rental assistance program with funds available right now in your ZIP code. It's free, confidential, and you don't need an appointment.

This guide covers the programs in Phoenix and Maricopa County that exist specifically to keep you housed — before homelessness starts. Most of them are first-come, first-served. The earlier you ask, the better your odds.

If You Have an Eviction Notice in Hand

Time matters. Once a landlord files in court, you typically have only 5 business days to respond before a judgment is entered against you.

Community Legal Services — Free Eviction Defense

Community Legal Services represents tenants facing eviction in Maricopa County at no cost. They can review your notice, file a response, and represent you in court.

• Phone: (602) 258-3434, or toll-free (800) 852-9075
• Address: 305 S. 2nd Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85003
• Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
• No walk-ins. Call during those hours or apply any time at clsaz.org — do not travel to the office hoping to be seen
• Have your eviction notice and lease in front of you when you call

Arizona's Eviction Help Project

A statewide project of the Arizona Bar Foundation. Its site, azevictionhelp.org, walks you through each stage of an Arizona eviction and has a live chat during business hours; it also routes you to the legal aid office for your county. Apply for legal aid at azlawhelp.org. There is no single statewide phone number — the site connects you to the right office instead.

Maricopa County Justice Courts — Self-Help

If you can't reach a lawyer in time, the Justice Court self-help center provides free forms and guidance to file an Answer to an eviction. Find your court at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

These programs pay your landlord directly to cover back rent or upcoming rent. Most require proof of income, a lease, and a written pay-or-quit notice.

Wildfire (Community Action Agencies)

Wildfire administers Community Services Block Grant funds for Maricopa County, including rental and utility assistance. Eligibility is based on income (usually under 200% of the federal poverty level).

• Phone: (602) 604-0640
• Address: 340 Palm Lane, Suite 315, Phoenix, AZ 85004
• Web: wildfireaz.org (emergency rental assistance: wildfireaz.org/erap)
• Apply through one of their partner agencies — call to find the closest intake site

Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Phoenix

St. Vincent de Paul offers one-time rent, mortgage and utility help — but not from a central hotline. The help comes from volunteer-run chapters based in Catholic churches, and each chapter can only serve the neighborhood inside its own boundary. You have to call the church that covers your address.

• Find your chapter: use the map at stvincentdepaul.net/get-help/rent-and-utility-bill-assistance and call only the location that serves your area
• General "Need Help?" line: (602) 266-4673
• Chapters are volunteer-run, so hours vary and funds run out — if one cannot help, ask 211 for the next option

Catholic Charities Community Services

Catholic Charities runs eviction prevention programs across Maricopa County and helps with deposits, first month's rent, and back rent for qualifying households.

• Phone: (602) 749-4405 (Phoenix, 5119 N. 19th Ave.), or statewide 1-855-316-2229
• Web: catholiccharitiesaz.org
• You do not need to be Catholic to receive help

Salvation Army — Phoenix Metro

Salvation Army provides rental and utility assistance through its Phoenix metro corps offices. Funding is allocated monthly and runs out.

• Phone: (602) 267-4127 — this is an automated intake line, not a person; follow the prompts
• Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Call on or near the first day of the month. Assistance depends on that month's remaining funds, and early callers are far more likely to be served
• You generally need to show a loss of income within the past 90 days

City of Phoenix Human Services Department

The City of Phoenix administers federal rental assistance through its Family Services Centers. Eligibility is based on income and Phoenix residency.

• Phone: (602) 534-AIDE (2433), or 1-866-882-1778
• Calls are taken Mondays only, starting at 8 a.m. This is the single most important thing to know about this program — calling on a Tuesday will not get you an appointment
• Web: phoenix.gov/humanservices (there is also an online application portal)
• Three Family Services Centers: John F. Long, 3454 N. 51st Ave. · Sunnyslope, 914 W. Hatcher Rd. · Travis L. Williams, 4732 S. Central Ave.

Utility Assistance: Keep the Lights and AC On

In Phoenix summers, losing electricity isn't an inconvenience — it's a medical emergency. Arizona has specific protections and programs for this.

LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)

LIHEAP is the federal program that pays a portion of your utility bill if you qualify by income. In Maricopa County, apply through Wildfire or any Community Action Agency partner. As of the 2026 program year the Arizona Corporation Commission describes LIHEAP as offering up to $640 in standard benefits plus up to $500 in additional crisis assistance, for households up to 60% of the state median income.

• Phone: (602) 604-0640 (Wildfire)
• Apply online: era.azdes.gov (Arizona DES portal), or call (866) 494-1981 for help applying
• Bring: photo ID, Social Security cards for all household members, recent utility bill, proof of income

Power AZ — the program most people miss

Power AZ is a state-funded companion to LIHEAP that opens eligibility much wider: households up to 100% of the state median income qualify — for a family of four that is roughly $107,976 a year as of the 2026 program year. It offers the same up-to-$640 standard benefit and up-to-$500 crisis relief. If you were told you earn too much for LIHEAP, ask about Power AZ specifically.

• Apply: era.azdes.gov, or call (866) 494-1981

APS Crisis Bill Assistance

Arizona Public Service (APS) offers crisis bill assistance, payment arrangements, and budget billing. Call APS at (602) 371-7171, or 211, to find a partner agency and ask what is available this month — the amounts change by program year, so ask rather than assume.

SRP Economy Price Plan and Safety Net

Salt River Project customers can apply for the SRP Safety Net program, which provides a bill credit and protects against disconnection during extreme heat.

• Phone: (602) 236-8888

Arizona's summer shutoff moratorium (June 1 – October 15)

Arizona’s regulated electric utilities cannot disconnect you for nonpayment during the summer moratorium, June 1 through October 15. APS, Tucson Electric Power and UNS Electric have all opted into that calendar moratorium, so between those dates the protection applies regardless of the day’s forecast. (A utility may instead choose the alternative rule — no disconnection when the National Weather Service forecasts above 95°F or below 32°F — and electric cooperatives set their own tariffs, so if you are served by a co-op, ask which rule they follow.) The moratorium does not pause or forgive your bill. Charges keep accumulating, and disconnections for nonpayment resume after October 15 — so pay what you can each month, even partially, and set up a payment arrangement before the window closes. If a utility threatens shutoff during the moratorium, say so and file a complaint with the Arizona Corporation Commission at (602) 542-4251 or toll-free 1-800-222-7000.

If You Live in Subsidized Housing or Have a Voucher

Losing a Section 8 voucher or public housing placement is one of the fastest paths into homelessness. Get help before you miss a hearing.

• Housing Authority of Maricopa County: (602) 744-4500
• City of Phoenix Housing Department: (602) 534-1974
• Community Legal Services (voucher hearings): (602) 258-3434

What to Expect

Most rental assistance programs in Phoenix have more applicants than funding. Apply to several at once. Bring documents to your first call so you can fast-track: your lease, your pay-or-quit notice, photo ID, and the most recent income proof you can find (pay stubs, SSI letter, benefits letter).

If a program tells you funds are out for the month, ask when the next cycle opens and whether they keep a waitlist. Some programs reopen on the first business day of each month.

You are not alone in this, and you are not the only person calling. The faster you reach out — even before the eviction filing — the more options you have. Common Ladder maintains updated phone numbers and intake hours so you don't waste a call.

Start with 2-1-1. Then keep dialing.

Have a correction or an update? Contact us — we keep this information current.