Helping small businesses and non-profits survive as the pandemic recedes has become a major goal for communities ranging from West Hartford and East Hartford to Simsbury.
This fall, Connecticut communities are pumping millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid into grants or no-interest loans for local operations that suffered during the pandemic.
For Geron Jackson, a $27,000 grant this summer made all the difference in maintaining his new Cream Time ice cream shop in East Hartford.
“It means a whole lot. Right now I’m in debt because I borrowed money to buy the building — this is going to get me back where I was,” Jackson said. “We were doing really well before, but I was laid off from my engineering company. So this (shop) is my main source of income now.”
Scores of small business owners across central Connecticut have similar stories.
All of the recipients lost revenue because of emergency shutdowns in March of 2020, and in many cases the economic pain continues two and a half years later.
“It’s been one thing after another for some businesses: The pandemic, then the supply chain, then the workforce (shortages),” said Mayor Shari Cantor of West Hartford, whose town plans to distribute about $2 million in aid this year and next year.
“They went through closures, they get back on their feet and then it was the Delta variant; they got back on the feet and then it was Omicron,” she said. “And it’s happened to non-profits, too.”
West Hartford last month got 134 applications for the first round of grants, which are worth up to $10,000 for local businesses and non-profits that employ no more than 50 people. To be eligible, they must provide recent tax returns and other financial documentation along with information about how the pandemic harmed them.
Businesses from hair salons to restaurants and small manufacturers can apply, along with registered local non-profits. Town Manager Rick Ledwith said about 100 applicants have been approved, and another 20 are submitting more paperwork. West Hartford will offer a second round of grants this fall.
Cantor sees it as a continuation of emergency intervention that municipalities undertook during the early stages of the pandemic.
“The pandemic was a global disaster. If the government had not stepped in to help, the catastrophe would have been worse, not only from the health standpoint but for livelihoods, too,” Cantor said.
“Livelihoods are also important for physical health and mental health. We’re not helping people because they didn’t run their businesses well, they didn’t plan well. These were unforeseen challenges. so we’re providing some support for our valuable small businesses.”