Judge Lina Hidalgo announces new assistance program for small businesses - KPRC Click2Houston

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo held a news conference about assistance for small businesses in the county.

During the news conference, Hidalgo addressed the Small Business Relief Fund alongside multiple local officials.

Harris County Small Business Assistance Fund

• $30 million unanimously approved as a grant program. Prioritizes the smallest of small businesses. This money is in addition to the $10 million already approved to help small businesses.
• Hoping to help at least 1,500 small businesses.
• Applications are now open - will be open for 10 days. Priority will be given to businesses with 30 or fewer employees or businesses that have not already received help, Hidalgo said. Businesses must have been open all of 2019.
• The program is not first-come-first-serve. Applicants will be selected at random. To apply call 713-845-2476 or visit ReadyHarris.org.
• We are not going to be in a place for these businesses to open successfully if we do not get this virus under control, Hidalgo said.
• Commissioner Adrian Garcia said this will effectively become a $40 million grant program to help small businesses. The original $10 million was given as loans, but they are working to turn that into a grant program as well.
• The idea is to help businesses keep their doors open and their employees paid, Garcia said.
• “Anyone who benefits from this program, I ask that you pay it forward,” Garcia said.
• Hidalgo said the county is also working on another program to help renters who cannot make payments.

Coronavirus in Houston

• 48% of patients in ICU are COVID patients. The percentage continues to grow.
• There are people having to wait for ICU beds ... hospitalizations are continuing to rise.
• “We cannot just flatten the curve. We have to crush it,” Hidalgo said.
• Hidalgo urges people to continue to stay home. The strategy of having places open with limited capacity or social distancing is not the correct route.
• We will never be able to lower the curve if we continue on this path, Hidalgo said.
• Impact on Hispanic/black population: Hispanics make up more than 50% of people in the hospital. Black people make up over 25% of hospitalizations since March.
• “If this isn’t a wakeup call, I don’t know what is,” Hidalgo said.
• The strategy of waiting to fill up all hospital beds before taking significant action is morally and medically wrong, Hidalgo said.
• “The virus is catching up with all of us and we need to take action now.”
• Dr. Umair Shah with Harris County Public Health Department said our community is in a critical situation.
• Shah urged people to stay home, wear a face covering if you have to go out and to get tested.
• “This is a virus that is going to be with us for some time,” Shah said.
• Shah said that we cannot let our vulnerable population fall by the wayside.
• “We are fighting a virus, but we are in this together,” Shah said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"assistance" - Google News
July 13, 2020 at 09:13PM
https://ift.tt/2DzYBxz

Judge Lina Hidalgo announces new assistance program for small businesses - KPRC Click2Houston
"assistance" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Ne4zX9
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini