Small businesses in Antioch still struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic can get some relief from new emergency funding that is now available.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe announced the launching of the $1 million grant program, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), during a press conference Wednesday at City Hall.
“Today is an exciting day in the city of Antioch,” Thorpe said. “We’re proud to be celebrating this important opportunity with our small businesses and our members of the Chamber of Commerce.”
Surrounded by a group of small business owners at City Hall, Thorpe recounted how many small businesses that survived the pandemic are still crippled by the many costs they endured during tough economic times.
“We’re here in February of 2023 and some of our small businesses are still feeling the economic pinch of the COVID-19 pandemic in Antioch,” Thorpe said. “There are still small businesses that are under water as a result of deferred rental payments. So we have to help them.”
According to Stanford University’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, the number of active small businesses in the United States dropped by 3.3 million in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – the largest drop in small business on record, which “had a profound impact on all business sectors,” the mayor said. Thorpe noted Black businesses were hit especially hard experiencing a 41% drop while Latino businesses fell by 32% and Asian businesses dropped by 26%, according to the study.
The mayor also pointed to other issues that impacted businesses such as violent crime and homelessness. But he added that violent crime has dropped in the past two years in Antioch, a new transitional housing center for the homeless will soon open and a new mental health crisis response team will be launched to free up police to deal with other pressing issues.
“So, we’ve got a lot coming that’s going to increase our overall quality of life, but also help you directly as small businesses,” he said.
Working through the city’s economic development department in partnership with online administrator FORWARD, the city opened applications on Wednesday for two small business grant programs.
Kwame Reed, director of economic development for Antioch, explained the programs, which he said were “designed to help with the continued recovery efforts from the Covid-19 pandemic.” They will be funded with money the City Council allocated last month from a portion of the $$21,550,900 in American Rescue Plan Act funds it received.
The Small Business Grant Program offers grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, while the Facade Upgrade Program will provide eligible facade upgrade reimbursement payments ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, Reed said.
The small business grants can be used to cover overhead costs, rent relief, payment of back utilities, furniture, fixtures, equipment costs associated with remaining open during the pandemic, and safety protocol compliance, repairs and expenses due to theft and vandalism, modernization of operations and more.
To be eligible, a business must operate within Antioch city limits, possess an active city business license, have fewer than 25 employees, cannot be a publicly traded company, and be in an active status with the state Secretary of State.
The Facade Upgrade Program meanwhile will provide reimbursement grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 for eligible small businesses that have experienced financial losses from the pandemic. The grants can be used on first floor/street level improvements, exterior carpentry, awnings, exterior lighting and more.
Under the program guidelines, the applicant is required to pay for the entire cost of the facade project. The grant will then pay for 67% of the total eligible project costs, not exceeding the eligible grant amounts.
One of those who made use of a previous small business grant the city doled out before the latest round was the Rev. Kirkland Smith of Grace Bible Fellowship of Antioch who also owns the Solid Rock Cafe in downtown Antioch. Smith said his restaurant, which features live entertainment, enjoyed “fantastic success” until COVID-19 hit and had to rely on take-out orders and use online food ordering companies, which take a large portion of the profits.
“Realistically, we thought we’d close, we were day by day,” he said. “Ten to 13 of my friends that had businesses next door and down the street, across the street went out of business.”
Smith added that the Solid Rock Cafe made just enough to survive, but not enough to get ahead, so he was happy to receive a grant the city offered him two years earlier and is looking forward to applying for the new round of funding.
“We were pleasantly encouraged when this grant presented itself and even more encouraged when we received it,” he said. “Obviously, it didn’t fix every problem, but it allowed us to stay open another month.
“So we’re excited to be a source of encouragement to other businesses – especially when times are tough,” Smith said. “… I’m excited to have another opportunity to receive support and then also to be a source of encouragement to other businesses to know if you could just hold on a little bit longer — and with a little help with someone helping your hands up or lifting your hands up — you got a real good chance to find success.”
For more information about the grant programs, visit antiochgrants.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com