Yes, but that whole system is essentially built on the trust that everyone gets their fair share for giving time. Saying "for someone like me" runs completely counter to their ideas. Personally, it wouldn't be beneficial to me either but the catch is that this system essentially dictates you just have to give up some benefit to you in order to gain a benefit for the community.
However, I really don't know how viable this scheme would be on a bigger level. Eventually, this hopeful and admirable attempt faces the problems outlined in the article: landlords don't want time credits, banks don't want them, the government doesn't want them. So it's a risk of giving up your privilege of earning well that might leave you with nothing eventually.
I don't think it has to be viable on a bigger level. If all the system does is keep productive, engaged community members a reason to stick in the town due to the currency they've built up, I see that as a win for the currency.
Startup idea: a messenger that allows small communities to create their own currencies and provides a way to convert between them. Basically Internet, but for money.
...It'll turn into an even bigger scam than cryptocurrencies, but the idea seems interesting...
The point is to incentivize local spending, not just spending on local goods. Money that circulates within a community stimulates more local activity. Local producers are more likely to undercharge for the value of their goods and services for the sake of community vitality than large, remote businesses that want to squeeze every bit of value out of a transaction.
It's essentially a way to get more work done. It doesn't work if the network is so large that people lose that incentive.
That limitation is supposed to be an asset, it seems. No, you can't use the currency outside the local network. That incentivizes you to use your dollars only for things outside the network, and to go inside the network whenever possible (to make the best use of your overall holdings). You might give up convenience (by going to a local store to by produce rather than ordering from Amazon or a national chain), but then you see the benefits in community vitality.
In the end, this only works if you accept that investing in your local community is more important than saving a few minutes or dollars sending your work-hours-in-the-form-of-dollars to some far-flung exec's pocket. Some people are so well remunerated by the traditional system that I suppose they don't really have to care about all that.
I didn't see any examples of how people can get anything in return for sharing their time. Unless you can convert your time credits for unpleasant work you don't want to do, it is just a gold star for charity work, and I'm not sure that quantifying and gamifying charity is a productive change.
However, I really don't know how viable this scheme would be on a bigger level. Eventually, this hopeful and admirable attempt faces the problems outlined in the article: landlords don't want time credits, banks don't want them, the government doesn't want them. So it's a risk of giving up your privilege of earning well that might leave you with nothing eventually.