WEDGEFIELD, Fl. — It has been 32 days and Matt Rowland still hasn’t been able to return to his job at NASA where he works with software because of the government shutdown.
“I’m kind of starting to get into panic mode,” Rowland said. “If it goes on for another month or two, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Rowland has been using up his vacation time in order to get paid during the government shutdown but he only has a week left.
Since he’s a contractor, it’s still unclear if he’ll get paid back for the vacation time or for unpaid time off once the government reopens.
“Historically they have reimbursed vacation time that’s been used for the shutdown but there also hasn’t been a shutdown this long historically so it’s not guaranteed," Rowland said.
That’s why Rowland answered a Facebook post offering work for temporary federal workers affected by the shutdown.
“Rodas Outdoor Services is now temporarily hiring federal employees and government contractors who have been impacted by the government shutdown,” the Facebook post said. “If you are looking for side work during this hardship, we would be honored to hire you.”
The post said the job pays $12 to $20 an hour for lawn services including tree work, mulching and sod.
“I thought to myself, what can I do for my part and to help our community?” Rodas said to Eyewitness News.
Rodas has hired Rowland to take on some extra work.
Rodas’ own father works for the FAA in Dallas, and like Rowland, his father hasn’t been able to work for over a month.
“At the end of the day, we all just want to be great providers for our family and that was my main thought with this idea,” Rodas said.
Rodas said so far, about 30 people have asked about temporary work.
Rowland is hoping that offer won’t be needed much longer and is calling for lawmakers to take action.
“They need to make a decision and let us get back to work," Rowland said.
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps