Article originally posted on Tucson.com on January 6, 2020
Rocio Villa’s plans were foiled last spring when the apartment complex where she lived on Tucson’s southwest side suddenly increased the rent $250 per month.
Villa had become a single mom a couple of years earlier and was training for better work, but she still needed to pay for a final skills test.
With the increased housing costs, she found herself deciding between groceries and utilities. The family even tolerated living without electricity for a while because she couldn’t afford food if she paid all her bills.
The new job as a medical assistant was on hold as she tried to figure out how to stay put — and to help her kids see out the end of the school year.
Rising rents in Tucson are forcing a number of Tucson families, like Villa’s, to relocate. And when these families have to move, their children often have to switch schools, disrupting their educations.
In some neighborhoods, when ...