KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Vine Neighborhood Association has announced a waiver of rent for some units in the area for the month of April.
According to officials, the units covered under this decision includes seven residential and fourteen commercial units at the Heart of the Vine (formerly Central Corners) building on the corner of South Westnedge and Vine Street, as well as four residential units on the 900 block of South Westnedge.
The grand total results in about $20,000 worth of rent being waived.
“The April rent waiver is intended to provide extra time and financial solvency for our tenants as they file for unemployment and apply for emergency assistance for their businesses,” officials said in a statement. “A number of our residents have experienced layoffs and all of our businesses are closed for the remainder of the governor’s stay-at-home order.”
The organization wants other landlords and rental companies across Kalamazoo and Western Michigan to follow their lead.
“Vine is a low-income neighborhood and we are familiar with the unique needs of those who struggle with poverty, and the incredible burden that comes from a sudden loss of income, health insurance and long-term job security,” officials said. “We hope to see landlords everywhere enact swift and decisive emergency relief provisions for renters, who we must recognize are the fabric and lifeblood of any real estate investment.”
The full statement can be read online at this link.
