Merchant News COVID-19
Civil-Emergency-Order-Moratorium-on-Small-Business-Tenant-Evictions-3.17.20
• Places an immediate moratorium on small business and non-profit tenant evictions in the City of Seattle for non-payment of rent or due to holdover by the small business/non-profit tenant beyond the expiration of the lease’s term. A “small business” is generally one with 50 or fewer employees per establishment or premises. Landlords are forbidden from enforcing contractual or statutory remedies to remove a small business or nonprofit tenant from its premises or to terminate its lease.
• Requires the Landlord to endeavor to enter into payment plans or workout agreements with the small business/non-profit.
• Prohibits Landlords from charging late fees or interest due to late payment of rent by the small business/non-profit.
• Lasts until the earlier of May 16, 2020 or termination of the civil emergency, and may be extended by the Mayor.
SBA Loans
Small businesses in many Washington counties are now eligible to apply for low-interest U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. More counties are likely to become eligible in Washington state. Check the SBA website for the most updated information. This is one of the first SBA disaster declarations in the country related to COVID-19.
Paycheck Protection Plan
Just released on April 3rd, 2020 banks are still grappling with the new program.
Reminder: We have our Monday, April 6th 12 Noon Zoom meeting. Topic is sharing our experiences applying for loans. Join Zoom Meeting
us04web.zoom.us/j/327952216
Meeting ID: 327 952 216
One tap mobile
+13462487799
The Paycheck Protection Program provides small businesses with funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities.
Starting April 3, 2020, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply. Starting April 10, 2020, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply We encourage you to apply as quickly as you can because there is a funding cap. Below are key links to the Department of Treasury website, application and borrower guide:
Department of Treasury website
Funds from this program:
· Can be used for employee salaries under $100,000, paid sick or medical leave, insurance premiums, and mortgage interest, rent and utility payments;
· Are 100% forgivable if used for the above purposes; and
· Are available to businesses or 501(c)(3) nonprofits with less than 500 employees, including sole-proprietors, independent contractors, and other self-employed individuals.
Ways to contribute
- West Seattle-specific spreadsheet [via NextDoor]
- COVID-19 Survival Fund for the People [COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network]
- COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network – “Offer Support” volunteer form [COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network]
- Seattle Artists Relief Fund Amid COVID-19 [Ijeoma Oluo]
- COVID-19 Artist Trust Relief Fund [Artist Trust]
- Seattle Hospitality Emergency Fund [Jessica Tousignant & Candace Whitney Morris]
- COVID-19 Crisis Fund [Social Justice Fund]
- CID Restaurants and Other Small Businesses Relief Fund [SCIDpda]
- UW Laboratory Medicine Tackling COVID-19 [UW Virology Lab]
- Blood donor center locations [BloodWorks Northwest]
- City of Seattle Protective Equipment Donation Site [City of Seattle; for donating unused masks, gowns, and gloves]
- Your Supplies Save Lives [several major local unions; specifically for donating unused masks]
Financial resources for impacted businesses and individuals
- COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network – “Request Support” form (includes links to versions in Spanish, Amharic, and Tigrinya)
- Member Assistance Program [BECU; 0% 24-month personal loans of up to $2,500]
- List of schools offering free grab & go meals for kids [KING 5]
- List of emergency funds for artists [Artist Trust]
- COVID-19 Artist Trust Relief Fund [Artist Trust; grants of $500 – $5,000 to individuals]
- Seattle Artists Relief Fund Amid COVID-19 request form [Ijeoma Oluo & LANGSTON; $100 – $1,000 grants to individuals]
- COVID-19 Arts Emergency Relief Fund [ArtsFund; for organizations only]
- A List of Resources to Help Seattle’s Small Businesses Amid the COVID-19 Crisis [Seattle Met]
- Unemployed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic? Here’s Where to Get Help [United Way of King County]
- Resources for WA State Businesses & Workers Impacted by COVID-19 [business.wa.gov]
- Financial resources for Washington residents impacted by COVID-19 [Washington State Department of Financial Institutions]
- Information for workers and businesses affected by COVID-19 [Washington State Employment Security Department]
- Department of Revenue 2019 Novel Coronavirus Update
- Coronavirus Tax Relief [IRS]
NOTE: Most of the above links came from Sol’s Civic Minute, a newsletter by Sol Villareal.
04/02/20 Small business owners guide to the cares act
03/26/20 OED 3-26-20 neighborhoods presentation
03/26/20 March 20 2020 COVID Downtown Early Impact Summary
03/24/20 SupportLocal-DEI
03/23/20 FINAL-WA-Essential-Critical-Infrastructure-Workers-03.23.2020
City of Seattle Council Resource page
03/18/20 Square Community Resources
03/18/20 Governor Inslee Relief Package details
03/16/20 Small Business COVID resources
03/16/20 Governor Inslee press release
03/11/20 Governor Inslee Announcement 250 person gathering
03/10/20 Mayor Durkan press release Relief Small Business
Financial Resources for Consumers
Workplace Preventative Measures
List of preventative measures Junction merchants are taking
Resources for Your Business and Employees
The Governor has responded swiftly with expanded benefits programs and a resource list. These include programs such as SharedWork, which provides partial wage replacement to avoid layoffs, and standby, which suspends the job-search requirement for workers to collect unemployment benefits if an employer must make temporary layoffs. You can see a chart of available benefits for various COVID-19 scenarios here.
The County has been doing outreach through its Small Business Task Force for the COVID-19 Community Mitigation Branch of the Pandemic Advisory Task Force.
The Mayor has set up a business task force to help with the City’s response to the economic impact of the outbreak. I will be representing the Chamber and our members on that task force. She also announced an initial recovery package, which includes expanding the Small Business Stabilization Fund, tax deferral, utility relief, and assistance to access SBA loans. You can view the elements of that package here.
Our Congressional delegation has been receptive to ideas that would help businesses during the crisis. We are creating a list of ideas that we will propose to our delegation. If you have ideas for help from the federal government, please send them to Mackenzie Chase ().