(Catherine Bolton) As the pandemic swept the globe and left entire communities sheltering at home to slow its spread, hundreds upon thousands have found themselves without a way to work and pay their bills. But for a handful of residents in Montclair, New Jersey, a particularly empathetic landlord has made sure that there’s no added stress in their lives by canceling rent for the next three months.
by Catherine Bolton, April 27th, 2020
David Placek, a 39-year-old father of three who serves as landlord to about a dozen renters in Montclair, made the decision to cancel rent first through April and May when he looked around and saw how seriously people were struggling with the virus crisis.
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He and his wife, Bridget, sent out an email to their tenants on March 18th, explaining that health and well-being came before anything else during times like these.
“We hope to reduce your stress and anxiety by waiving all rent due for months of April and May. To be clear, you do not need to remit rent for these two months,” they wrote. Since then, they’ve decided that they will also waive rent for the month of June—since it appears that few will be able to return to normal work by that point in time, either.
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When asked by NJ Advance Media why the couple opted to cancel rent entirely for what amounts to a quarter of the year, Placek explained that it was something meaningful that he and his family would be able to do in order to help everyone out during a tough time.
“We should all do our part, and it’s something we can do. It provides a little bit of good news to people in a world where there’s no good news, and I think that’s meaningful,” Placek said. “The idea was just, let’s relieve some stress from our tenants.”
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Placek understood that not every landlord was in a financial situation that would enable them to waive payments entirely like this, but explained that he felt it was important to show a bit of compassion when in a financial position to do so. Given the mortgage relief that property owners have been shown in the state of New Jersey during the crisis, it was important in his eyes to pay that forward for his tenants.
In return, Placek isn’t asking for any direct favors or thank-yous from the tenants he’s helping out. But in the email he and his wife sent out to all of the tenants waiving rent, he did ask that those who were able pay it forward and buy either goods or gift cards from local Montclair businesses to keep them afloat.
“We know not every property owner can do what we’re able to do, but we are. The dollar amounts, although meaningful, are something we can live without for a few months,” he said.
“Everyone is so helpless. If you want to help in this current crisis, it’s hard to help,” he added. “When there’s enough community support to see something through, though, you can make it happen.”
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It has been said, God is love. We, as the children of love, seek it out in our lives in many different ways. Love is one of the primal emotions, with fear being the other. While the word love has been diluted over the years, life is filled with many different types of love that we would do well to identify. The preceding article discusses this powerful emotion and fundamental spiritual reality. Understanding how your life and motivations are guided by love is critically important for the development of balanced consciousness, capable of meeting the needs of the heart while at the same time, leaving a wake of benevolence. If the human race rediscovered the power of love and fellowship, the world could be transformed in short order. The strongest type of love is spiritual kinship, the love that emerges through the recognition of yourself as a child of the Creator, making all other living things your spiritual brothers and sisters. An individual that seeks spiritual maturity must learn how to balance and harmonizes their love urges. In doing so, they restore order to the chaos of their lives while at the same time preparing themselves for the Great Work of improving this world through fellowship, fraternity, and the goodness of an enlightened spirit-led soul.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
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