PORTSMOUTH, Va. — When Missy Waller moved into her new home in Portsmouth three months ago, she was still working to make it her own.

Still in need of a kitchen table, dressers, and more curtains for her windows.

With the holidays approaching and her son off to college, Waller said every dollar counts.

“I pay rent, lights, gas, water, trash, etc.,” she said, listing her $1,400 in monthly housing costs. “It all adds up.”

Then an unexpected gesture from her landlord, Travis Johnson, changed everything.

“He was like, ‘Come outside.’ And when I came outside, he said, ‘Y’all ain’t gotta bring rent for November and December,’ Waller recalled. “You mean literally you don’t have to pay anything? I just jumped for joy. It was a blessing to me because I’ve got a son who’s trying to go to Richa

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