Small businesses in several dozen communities could get up to $10,000 to help pay leases in the coronavirus pandemic under a new program announced Thursday by the Murphy administration.
The Small Business Lease - Emergency Assistance Grant Program will provide grants intended to keep "mom and pop shops on Main Streets" afloat as the pandemic continues to force many businesses to remain closed to keep the virus from spreading, said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who also serves as the Department of Community Affairs Commissioner. It will apply to building landlords as well.
"We cannot get to where we need to be and where we know we will be without the women and men who own and operate the small businesses that make a municipality a community and turn a street into a gathering place for that community," Gov. Phil Murphy said at a news conference in Long Branch, one of 64 eligible cities. Others include Asbury Park, Burlington City, Camden, Hackensack, Jersey City and Newark.
The New Jersey Redevelopment Authority plans to use $6 million in federal CARES Act funding to support the lease program. It will provide grants to tenants leasing commercial space in mixed-use, commercial buildings and storefront businesses, according to the governor's office. The program will be capped at 5,000 square feet of leased space, the office said.
It is the latest effort by the administration to try propping up small businesses that have been crushed by Murphy's business restriction orders due to the deadly virus. The Economic Development Authority has also committed about $100 million to help 20,000 small businesses, Murphy said Wednesday.
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“Small business owners have been struggling to make ends meet throughout this pandemic — especially when it comes to fixed costs like rent and utilities,” Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, said in a statement. “Without additional aid, thousands of these businesses will go under permanently. These commercial rental assistance grants will go a long way toward helping small businesses and Mom-and-Pop stores survive.”
Applications will be online-only and open Aug. 10. For more information, visit www.njra.us.
Dustin Racioppi is a reporter in the New Jersey Statehouse. For unlimited access to his work covering New Jersey’s governor and political power structure, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: racioppi@northjersey.com Twitter: @dracioppi
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