We need more support! Please Read: Assistance Programs & Other Expenses Not Covered by Them

Let's reach our goal of 100 signatures and keep sharing on places like reddit, nextdoor, facebook and twitter. I am going to contact Arizona major newspapers and radio stations willing to advocate for the petition and gain some momentum for it.

Governor Ducey is not factoring in the billions of dollars given to organizations to help with rent and utilities does not account for the cost of other necessary living expenses - expenses that are needed to actually apply for and get to jobs and interviews.

Some of these include: cell phone, wifi (internet connect), car / vehicle insurance, car / vehicle payments and gas. Also, the extension for nutrition assistance benefits ended on May 31, 2021. This forced citizens to have to renew which means they have to resubmit all of their information which is a process while also worrying about being evicted and applying for jobs. Toiletries are NOT included in nutrition assistance benefits which includes toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, and basic essentials. 

Furthermore, I tried calling a Salvation Army location in the Tucson area, on a Monday morning as prompted to do so for assistance as the automated message stated. The message stated that they "were not accepting applications in-person and appointments had to be made over the phone."  Also, an excessive amount of documentation needed - all 3 IDs (passport, security card and birth certificate) and loads of other documents and paperwork needed to be printed out once the appointment was made. Again, this means I have to be able to afford a working phone to set an appointment, access to a printer and internet connection to get the necessary documents.

When I called during the specified hours, it redirected me to an automated message, repeating the exact hour and day I was calling to reach them. I received no response. I pressed the digit to redirect me to the "front desk clerk." It did not even ring once and immediately sent me to a voicemail of an indecipherable name. I left a message with my reason for calling, first and last name, phone number and repeated myself clearly. I never received a returned phone call. This was over 3 months ago! And several weeks following that first phone call, I tried again. The exact same thing happened. They never got back to me and I am wondering how many other citizens have dealt with the same thing from The Salvation Army and other organizations with funds available to help assist citizens in need. 

I DO NOT understand how billions of dollars are going towards organizations designed to help citizens struggling during the pandemic and these organizations are not answering their phones, returning phone calls and they have certain stipulations that make people ineligible to receive their assistance. 

For Example: Did you know most of the programs for rental and utility assistance force citizens to account for everyone in their household? This means if you have ROOMMATES, HOUSEMATES OR SUBLETTERS - or you live with an elderly or disabled person who is receiving assistance, you have to account for their income and yours, even if you are both renting separate rooms or units within a residence or a property. This means they are factoring income that is not even related to you or your expenses in order to receive assistance from these programs. 

Also, these programs send money directly to landlords and / or utility companies. So this money isn't covering anything other than these specific essentials. This means people are expected to live off of as low as $416.00 per MONTH to cover all of their additional bills and living expenses without any other source of assistance.

I am trying to make a strong point that this cut in federal pandemic unemployment compensation is going to make things worse for Arizona.