Governor Katie Hobbs Statement on Joan Serviss’ Nomination for Director of the Arizona Department of Housing

News Release

February 25, 2025
Phoenix, AZ – Governor Katie Hobbs issued the following statement on the Senate’s upcoming vote on Joan Serviss’ nomination for Director of the Arizona Department of Housing:

“Joan Serviss is a highly qualified leader and passionate public servant who has a proven track record of making housing more affordable and combatting homelessness. 

“When I became Governor, I nominated Director Serviss to steer Arizona's housing efforts amid unprecedented cost increases and to keep Arizona affordable for years to come. Today, just as two years ago, she remains the best person for the job. 

“Director Serviss is more than just capable; she is extremely effective. She quickly, skillfully, and successfully implemented historic investments -- $165 million in the Housing Trust Fund and $60 million in the Homeless Shelter and Services Fund. Under her leadership, the state funded and broke ground on more affordable housing units than any other two-year time period in our history, dramatically expanded capacity for transitional housing and shelters, and created economic opportunity by making first-time homeownership a reality for more Arizonans. Director Serviss has been central to the strides we have made to make housing more affordable in Arizona. 

“The progress we have achieved is possible because Director Serviss has the management skills and policy knowledge the Department of Housing needs. She is an empathetic leader who has worked hand in hand with communities to understand and address their housing needs.

“She has earned the respect of leaders and Arizonans across the state -- from the public and private sectors, from both the Democratic and Republican parties, from both the housing industry and nonprofit space.

“As Arizona continues to grow, it is critical that we have a leader like Director Serviss at the helm to expand housing options and lower housing costs for Arizonans across the state.”
Background

Historic investments and measurable progress
  • Under Director Serviss’ leadership, the state broke ground on 4,155 affordable housing units in 2023 and 3,875 units in 2024 — the most in any two-year time period in Arizona.
  • Under Director Serviss’ leadership, the state has implemented historic investments in the Housing Trust Fund to lower the cost of housing for Arizonans, including creating more than 4,500 affordable units and 320 transitional housing units, and connecting 500 first-time homebuyers to down payment assistance. 
  • Housing Trust Funds and Homeless Shelter and Services Funds have enabled:
    • Housing Production: 3,579 new or rehabilitated affordable rental homes (with another ~1,000 to be approved in the coming weeks); 78 new permanently affordable Habitat for Humanity homes; 327 new transitional housing beds.
    • Home Ownership: 500 first time home buyers through the Arizona is Home mortgage assistance program (which will reach 1,000 in the coming year thanks to an American Rescue Plan Act allocation in FY25)
    • Crisis Response: 21,469 individuals assisted in their housing crisis; 8,533 individuals experiencing homelessness helped with expanded shelter capacity and services; 2,050 persons assisted with extreme weather response; 65 homeowners assisted with emergency home repairs to preserve their housing.
    • Targeted Support: 16 new substance abuse recovery beds created; 9 local governments assisted with grants to perform affordable housing studies.
Swift, deliberate action by ADOH to support housing solutions across the state
  • Director Serviss is capable and effective at tackling Arizona’s housing challenges. From Day 1, she has brought her expertise in housing policy and programs to lead the agency at a time when housing affordability is a top concern for Arizona residents.
  • Within months of assuming the role, Director Serviss moved to have ADOH forward-allocate all of its federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) for 2024. Between 2023 and 2024 credits, this generated 15 new affordable housing projects for 2023 (including 7 in rural communities which ties the agency record for rural awards set last year), which together translates to 1,049 new housing units throughout Arizona. In some past years, ADOH has forward-allocated a portion of the following year’s tax credits; this is the first time in state history that Arizona put 100% of the following year’s credits to work in the current year to fund development.
  • When the Legislature allocated much-needed resources to the Housing Trust Fund and Homeless Shelter and Services Fund in 2023, Director Serviss moved swiftly to allocate the funds not only across the state (over 40 of the 102 awards for projects and programs in rural areas) but also across the housing continuum (funding development of affordable housing, homeownership opportunities, and efforts to prevent housing insecurity).
  • She worked quickly to allocate $20 million in Homeless Shelter and Services Funds to local governments mere weeks after the budget was enacted in preparation for the brutal season of summer heat Arizona had seen. And in less than a year, Director Serviss and her team led 10 listening sessions to make sure these funds were responsive to community needs, and ultimately allocated the remaining $190 within a year—a breakneck pace rarely seen from this relatively small state agency.
Widespread, bipartisan support
  • Nearly 60 housing partners have expressed strong support for the confirmation for Director Joan Serviss to lead the Arizona Department of Housing. 
  • Support comes from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and includes Republican leaders, nationally recognized affordable housing developers, manufactured housing industry leaders, and nonprofits focused on improving the housing continuum. 
  1. Mayor Jerry Weiers, City of Glendale
  2. Thomas Simplot, former Director of the Arizona Department of Housing
  3. Mike Trailor, former Director of the Arizona Department of Housing
  4. Sheila Harris, former Director of the Arizona Department of Housing
  5. Fred Karnas, former Director of the Arizona Department of Housing
  6. Courtney LeVinus, Arizona Multihousing Association
  7. Rina Rien, Pinal Partnership
  8. Gabe Forsberg, Maricopa County StandDown Executive Committee
  9. Steve Caprobres, Catholic Charities
  10. Suzanne Kinney, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Assn., AZ Chapter
  11. Thomas McCoy, Disabled American Veterans
  12. Pat Schoneck, Arizona Association of Mobile Home Owners
  13. Carole Benedict, U.S. Vets - Prescott
  14. Diana Yazzie-Devine, Native American Connections
  15. Sam Baird, Manufactured Housing Industry of Arizona
  16. Kimberly Merrill, Manufactured Housing Industry of Arizona
  17. Thomas Winkel, Arizona Coalition for Military Families
  18. Connor Larr, Ulysses Development Group
  19. Shelley Marquez, Mercy Housing
  20. Eric Marcus, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
  21. Sebastian Porchini
  22. David Roe, Clayton Homes
  23. David Adame, Chicanos Por La Causa
  24. Clark Princell, Valley Partnership
  25. Dana Kennedy, AARP Arizona
  26. Darrel Christenson, Ability360
  27. Dan Ranieri, La Frontera Arizona
  28. C. Peter Delgado, Tohono O’odham Ki:Ki Association
  29. Jessica Raymond, Atlantic Development & Investments
  30. Joanna Carr, Arizona Housing Coalition
  31. Brian Swanton, Gorman & Company
  32. Amy Schwabenlender, Human Services Campus
  33. Kelly McGowan, Wildfire
  34. Michael Huges, A New Leaf
  35. Jim McPherson, Phoenix Community Alliance
  36. John Hogeboom, Community Bridges, Inc.
  37. Maggie Amado-Tellez, Pima County Land Trust
  38. Rick Mitchell, Homeless I.D. Project
  39. Michael Shore, HOM Inc.
  40. Jodi Fragnoli, HOM Inc.
  41. Jackson Fonder, UMOM New Day Centers
  42. Candy Espino, Arizona Council of Human Service Providers
  43. Liz Morales, Arizona Housing Authority Directors Association
  44. Irma Hollamby Cain, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
  45. Diane Yentel, National Low Income Housing Coalition
  46. Daniel Davis
  47. Allison Hephner
  48. Cyndy Gaughan
  49. Pamela Morrison
  50. Arturo Perez
  51. St. Charles Town Company
  52. Nathan Smith, CASS
  53. Dean Schienert, Justa Center
  54. Tami Bohannon, Foundation for Senior Living
  55. Ted Goltzman, Commonwealth Development Corporation
  56. Darlene Newsom, (formerly) UMOM New Day Centers
  57. Bill Morlan, CASS (board chair)
  58. Benjamin Taylor, Lincoln Avenue Communities
  59. Shelly Marquez, Mercy Housing
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