RTS ALERT: HB2682 Creates Rental Assistance Program

From our associates at the Arizona Housing Coalition:

“After reviewing HB2682 closely, we believe it merits support. It fills a very specific gap by providing short-term rental assistance for families with children who are facing a temporary financial shock but can remain stably housed after the crisis passes.”

What HB 2682 does (in brief):

• Creates a Rental Assistance Program under the Department of Economic Security (DES).

• Applies to families with at least one child under 18 in the home.

• Provides up to 2 months of rent or $5,000 (whichever is less), once every 12 months.

• Can be used before delinquency (prevents avoidable evictions).

• Payments go to landlords; landlords who accept assistance cannot evict for nonpayment during covered months.

• Requires a 5-business-day approval/denial notice to tenant and landlord.

• Includes a financial literacy class requirement.

• Appropriates $5M (FY 26–27), non-lapsing.

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Why ELCA Social Teaching Supports HB 2682

Issue: HB 2682 establishes a targeted, short-term rental assistance program administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security to help renters facing temporary financial emergencies remain housed. Assistance is limited, paid directly to landlords, prioritizes families with children, and includes protections against eviction for covered rent.

Core Message, Key Talking Points

Housing stability is a faith issue. Preventing eviction during short-term financial crisis reflects Lutheran commitments to love of neighbor, human dignity, and responsible public action.

• Housing is foundational
  Safe, stable housing is essential for health, family stability, education, and employment. Without it, everything else unravels.

• HB 2682 is targeted and temporary
  This bill responds to short-term emergencies, not long-term dependency. Assistance is limited, time-bound, and paid directly to landlords.

• Children are protected
  Prioritizing families with children reflects our concern for those most harmed by housing instability.

• Government has a vocation
  In Lutheran theology, public institutions are instruments through which God works to restrain harm and promote the common good.

• Prevention is faithful stewardship
  Preventing eviction costs less—and causes far less harm—than responding after families become homeless.

• This is not charity vs. responsibility
  Emergency rental assistance supports people who are already working, parenting, and contributing—but facing sudden crisis.

• Faith informs, not imposes
  Supporting HB 2682 does not impose religion; it applies moral values to public life in a pluralistic society.

Lutheran Advocacy in Practice

For groups like Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) and the ELCA in general, supporting housing stability reflects a long-standing commitment to:

• Love of neighbor in public life

• Protection of children and families

• Faithful use of public systems for the common good

Bottom Line

Supporting HB 2682 is not about politics—it is about faith lived out in community. From an ELCA perspective, housing stability is a moral concern because it:

• Protects human dignity

• Prevents avoidable harm

• Uses public institutions responsibly

• Prioritizes those most at risk

• Reflects God’s care for neighbors in real need

Keeping people housed is an expression of hope, justice, and love in action.

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RTS Action

Please sign on in support of the bill! If you have an account with the AZ Legislature’s Request-to-Speak (RTS) system, the steps to sign-on in support are below. If you don’t have an RTS account, you can sign up for one here: https://lamaz.org/request-to-speak.

How to support our bill through the Request-to-Speak System

1. Sign into your RTS account at this link: https://apps.azleg.gov/Account/SignOn and click "Request to Speak."

2. Click on the "New Request" tab on the left.

3. In the “Search Phrase” bar, type HB2682, then hit search.

4. The bill should appear below: “HB2682 - rental assistance program; appropriation”

5. Click the blue "Add request" tab on the right.

6. FINALLY, you'll be able to click the green thumbs up button to indicate you are "for" the bill – hooray!

7. Select “No,” you do not wish to speak to the committee directly. You may add publicly-visible comments in the box if you wish, but it's not required.

8. Click submit and you're done.

9. THANK YOU!