Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree, Board of Selectmen Announce Saugus Now Accepting Applications for Microenterprise Business Assistance to Support Local Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic - September 21, 2020
Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree, Board of Selectmen Announce Saugus Now Accepting Applications for Microenterprise Business Assistance to Support Local Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic
(Saugus, MA) September 21, 2020 – Saugus Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and the Board of Selectmen are pleased to announce that the Town of Saugus is now accepting applications for Microenterprise Business Assistance to provide financial support to small businesses within the community that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Town was awarded a grant of up to $360,000 earlier this summer through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 opportunity (CDBG-CV) to provide financial assistance to local small businesses that are being negatively impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Town is now able to open the financial assistance program to the community’s small businesses after awaiting required training from the State, which was conducted this past week.
Through the Microenterprise Business Assistance program, the Town is able to provide grants of up to $10,000 per business to qualifying microenterprises (a commercial enterprise that has five or fewer employees in which one or more of whom owns the enterprise) adversely impacted by COVID-19.
“The Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 opportunity funding provides the Town of Saugus with the necessary resources to help our business community, which has always served as the Town’s partner, during these unprecedented times,” said Town Manager Crabtree. “We encourage any and all eligible, interested small businesses within the Town to apply to the Microenterprise Business Assistance program and take advantage of this beneficial financial assistance opportunity.”
Eligible microenterprises that are interested in applying for assistance should visit the Town’s Planning and Economic Development webpage (https://www.saugus-ma.gov/planning-and-economic-development) and select the page titled “Microenterprise Assistance”. The Town is accepting applications through the Neighborly software platform. For more information about the program or for assistance with the application, please contact the Planning and Economic Development Department at 781-231-4045 or 781-231-4044.
When the pandemic first affected the community earlier this year, Town officials began investigating and researching funding opportunities in an effort to provide microenterprise assistance to help address impacts due to these unprecedented times. Officials applied for aid and were awarded up to $360,000, made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act) to DHCD by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) via amendment to the existing DHCD CDBG FY2019 One Year Action Plan.
The CDBG-CV opportunity supports communities across the Commonwealth in their work to provide vital services to low-income residents and small businesses affected by the recent outbreak.
“I would like to thank Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and the Department of Housing and Community Development for their continued support of the Town of Saugus and our small businesses. This aid is invaluable to our community during these difficult times,” concluded Town Manager Crabtree.
The Town’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, in conjunction with the Town Manager’s Office, will oversee the Microenterprise Business Assistance program and the subsequent distribution of funds to eligible small businesses.
For more information or for assistance, please contact the Planning and Economic Development Department at 781-231-4045 or 781-231-4044, or the Town Manager’s office at 781-231-4111.