Curran Announces New Programs To Help COVID Economic Recovery

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — County Executive Laura Curran announced a new program today that will help everyone in Nassau — renters, homeowners, business owners and more — find and apply for economic recovery money from many different sources.

Curran is expanding the Boost Nassau program, which was originally created to help small businesses, to provide aid to all Nassau County residents who want to apply for coronavirus stimulus aid. The program will help residents navigate the county, state and federal grants that are available, and then aid them in applying for them.

"As we enter into this new phase, we want to make sure everyone bounces back," Curran said. "It can be tough to know what you're eligible for with all those programs out there. It's hard to figure out the byzantine process of how to apply, and navigating that process is tricky. There are many agencies to deal with."

Residents can go online to the Boost Nassau web portal to get information on available resources. They can also make an appointment for an in-person consultation at the Boost Nassau Resource Center, which is located at Eisenhower Park's Field 6.

In addition to the new Boost Nassau program, Curran also said she will be submitting a plan to the Nassau County Legislature to spend $65 million of the American Recovery Act money the county received to help further the economic recovery of the area.

Curran said the $65 million would be spent on "a recovery package that's inclusive of all our residents." It would fund small business grants, Main Street revitalization initiatives, workforce development, rebuilding the county's infrastructure, supporting seniors and veterans, and helping nonprofits and cultural institutions, among other things.

These new programs are the latest in Curran's efforts to help the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday, Curran announced a program similar to Boost Nassau for school districts, which would help them apply for coronavirus expense reimbursement so costs wouldn't be passed on to taxpayers.

The county executive also proposed at $100 million program to send direct payments to Nassau homeowners, as well as a plan to make more loans available to small businesses.

"Covid has impacted so many aspects of our communities in so many different ways," said Curran. "We will continue to look at all of the different ways we can be of assistance."