The federal agency managing the government's civilian workforce recommended on Thursday that employees unable to pay rent during the partial government shutdown could work for their landlords as a form of compensation.
The Office of Personnel Management tweeted a link to letter templates that can be sent to creditors, mortgage companies or landlords explaining financial difficulties for government workers during the shutdown.
"As we discussed, I am a Federal employee who has recently been furloughed due to a lack of funding of my agency. Because of this, my income has been severely cut and I am unable to pay the entire cost of my rent, along with my other expenses," the template for writing a letter to landlords read. "I will keep in touch with you to keep you informed about my income status and I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments."
American Federation of Government Employees spokeswoman Ashley De Smeth told Reuters that the letter templates were created in 2013, when the government shut down after funding disagreements related to President Obama's health care legislation.