More than 26,000 Arizona tenants are asking for help paying their rent because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Arizona Department of Housing officials say the average aid requested is about $890 with the money going directly to landlords.
The Arizona Republic reports that a state fund of $5 million was launched last month for renters hurt by COVID-19.
The state housing agency is working with local eviction-prevention agencies across Arizona to administer the renter funds.
The median rent in the Phoenix metro area reached $1,100 in March and rents can be cheaper in the Flagstaff area.
The renter-aid fund began days after Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order to delay evictions for renters either quarantined or facing economic hardships due to the coronavirus.