Curran Announces Plans To Help Businesses Recover From Pandemic

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — On the heels of her proposal to send direct payments to Nassau County homeowners, County Executive Laura Curran announced a proposal today to help the county's businesses continue their recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Curran's plan would use about $25 million from funds the county received from the American Recovery Plan to fund grants, loans and other assistance to the county's small businesses. Curran said the details of the plan come from a recent survey that was conducted by Hofstra University at her request, which asked businesses what they needed for recovery.

"Small businesses employ our neighbors, family and friends and are the heart of our vibrant downtown communities that need help,” said Curran. “We need to expand our efforts to support these businesses by providing direct assistance while also helping them take advantage of the programs available from federal and state sources as well.”

Curran's plan will take a multi-pronged approach to helping businesses. It will expand the county's Restaurant Recovery Grant Program to include more businesses, like retail stores and all food services. The Restaurant Recovery Grant Program was launched last November, and provided restaurants with grants of either $5,000 or $10,000 (depending on the number of employees) to help them pay operating expenses, salaries and more.

The county will also provide new stabilization loans to small businesses, including start-ups and minority- and women-owned businesses. These loans will have greater flexibility, lower interest rates and extended pay-back periods, Curran said.

The third part of the plan is establishing the Boost Nassau Resource Center, which will be located at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. It is designed to be a one-stop shop for business owners to help them apply for grants and other recovery programs. The towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay will be offered space in the center to consolidate information and opportunities for businesses and residents across the county. The center is planned to be opened next month.

Last week, Curran proposed a plan to send direct payments of $375 to about 300,000 Nassau County homeowners. That program needs to be approved by the Nassau County Legislature.