(San Juan, P.R.)- The mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romero Lugo, announced that orientation workshops will be offered to small businesses in the Capital interested in applying for up to $50 thousand in aid from the CDBG-DR program’s funds.
The allocation of funds is intended to mitigate the damages caused by hurricanes Irma and María to these small businesses.
“We’ve worked alongside the Economic Development Bank and the Department of Housing to host these workshops, which will allow us to educate our local businesses in San Juan on the aid that’s available to them, the goal being to strengthen local commerce,” said Romero Lugo.
The official added that “this aid does not entail any investment; however, because sometimes they do not have the correct information, there are businesses that miss out on funds that are crucial for promoting economic development. We encourage them to participate in this event and take advantage of this opportunity.”
The workshops are free and will be held at University College of San Juan on March 3 and 4 at two scheduled times: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Each participant must bring their computer to complete the online application. They must have, in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format, their 2016, 2017, and 2018 tax returns; their Business Registration; as well as a Debt Certification from the Municipal Revenues Collection Center and the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury.
Attendance is limited to 50 people per session and a website has been established so that interested parties can register through Eventbrite and thereby comply with the protocols established for COVID-19 prevention.
For his part, the president of the Economic Development Bank, Luis Alemañy, said that “the funds will be directed toward job creation and retention, as well as the purchase of materials and equipment. Businesses are required to show that they have suffered physical or economic losses due to the hurricanes in order to apply for this aid. Those who have had to close their business due to the hurricanes and have since opened a new business may also apply.”
Meanwhile, the secretary of the Department of Housing, William Rodríguez Rodríguez, pointed out that “small businesses are an essential sector in our economy and the CDBG-DR funds are available to assist in the process of boosting and bolstering their businesses. Many businesses are still struggling with the ravages of hurricanes Irma and María, so these funds are here to help their efforts. We invite them to share this information with any business in San Juan that they know so that we can benefit the greatest possible number of businesses.”
Lastly, the capital’s chief executive asked that they access the event’s website to get registered, which is available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taller-para-solicitar-ayuda-de-hasta-50-mil-de-fondos-cdbg-dr-para-pymes-tickets-142243212277.
“We have a great opportunity to push our capital city’s economy forward with this important allocation of federal funds, which is why we are available to facilitate and speed up the process for our businesses. Thank you to the Economic Development Bank and the Department of Housing for their commitment to our capital,” he concluded.
