WASHINGTON: On Thursday, June 24, as part of the "Vaccine Month of Action," the U.S. Small Business Administration and Public Private Strategies Institute hosted a Pacific Region (California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam) briefing for small business owners on COVID-19 recovery as part of the "Getting Back on Track: Help is Here" webinar series.
Over 1,800 participants and joined the livestream briefing featuring Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), member of the U.S. House Small Business Committee. “As we move past the pandemic and work to create a robust economic recovery for everyone, I want to thank the SBA and PPSI for all they are doing to support small business that will make inclusive recovery possible. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and there won’t be an economic recovery without you,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu.
“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, President Biden’s historic $1.9 trillion bill, businesses have seen major stimulus and growth opportunities as we finally begin to turn the corner on the pandemic. More entities were made eligible for PPP [Paycheck Protection Program].” Congresswoman Chu further emphasized how “Underserved communities have been proactively connected to opportunities for assistance, with restaurants and bars being provided with a historic new program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.”
Participants joined an in-depth question and answer session with SBA Fresno District Director Dawn Golik, who provided detailed updates on low interest disaster relief aid, especially during peak wildfire and hurricane seasons. She also focused on American Rescue Plan economic aid programs such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants and Paycheck Protection Program, as well as discussed technical assistance that SBA district offices can provide applicants.
Renee Johnson, Senior Advisor for Public Private Strategies Institute, moderated the program and emphasized how vaccines “are getting into arms, our main streets are re-opening, we’ve seen the economic aid help businesses survive, and now we want to make sure small businesses have all the tools they need to hire workers back, grow our economy, and get back on track.”
SBA recommends applicants, interested parties, and qualified entities check these additional resources for economic aid and vaccinations:
- SBA Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center: 1-800-659-2955. Operation Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; 1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard of hearing or DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov
- Local Resources Partners: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance or www.sba.gov/asistencia-local
- Subscribe to the SBA's e-newsletter: www.sba.gov/updates
- Follow the SBA on Twitter: @SBAgov
- Visit vaccines.gov to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Cosponsorship Authorization # 21-0501-14: The SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products, or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
###