Pinellas landlord forgives $100 in rent for every hour tenants volunteer for local charities
With many behind in rent because of the pandemic, Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida has a novel way to give its tenants a chance to lower their debts.
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Holly Butler, 48, director of property management for Contemporary Housing Alternatives of Florida, Inc, had an idea. What if COVID-affected tenants could get credit for delinquent rent by putting in community service hours? I wondered, How can we make lemonade out of all these lemons? I thought it might just be a kookie idea, but I pitched it, Butler explained. Now their new Back on Track program allows COVID-affected tenants to deduct $100 from their delinquent rent debt for every hour they volunteer for a recognized nonprofit charity. Butler poses at Northside Villas on Dec. 14. [ JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times ]