Small Business Resource Information
Thanks
to the Northville Chamber of Commerce for providing this helpful information
regarding resources for Michigan small businesses who are facing unprecedented
challenged due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Please reach out to the
Northville DDA, the Northville Chamber of Commerce, and the Small Business Development
Center at Schoolcraft College and let us know how we can be of help.
Work
Share – The Governor’s Unemployment Insurance
Executive Order (E.O. – Click here for link)
expands the State’s Work Share program. Employers are encouraged to
implement the program that permits employers to maintain operational
productivity during declines in regular business activity instead of laying
off workers. More information about Work Share can be found here. It’s
important to note that the E.O. now allows all employers to take advantage
of the program, regardless of whether the employer’s reserve in the
employer’s experience account as of the most recent computation date
preceding the date of the employer’s application is a positive
number.
Unemployment
Benefits – Eligible employees should apply for
unemployment benefits online at Michigan.gov/UIA or
1-866-500-0017. A factsheet on how to apply for benefits can be found here.
Additional
unemployment resources for employees can be found here and for
workers here.
Small
Business Loans – At our urging, Governor Whitmer is
seeking additional solutions for small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Earlier this month, Congress passed legislation that makes $1 billion
available to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide
low-interest loans to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives,
and nonprofits that have suffered substantial economic losses as a result
of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor has informed SBA that she is
seeking an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Declaration for the state and has
initiated the process to receive the declaration from SBA. Once granted,
small businesses in qualifying areas will be able to access low-interest
loans through the SBA. In the interim, we are encouraging small businesses
that could benefit from SBA loans to start collecting the information
they’ll need to complete and submit their application. Examples of
information needed can be found here. For
additional information or to obtain help preparing the loan application in
advance of the declaration, please contact the Michigan SBA offices
in Detroit or Grand Rapids.
MEDC
- The Michigan Economic Development
Corporation’s (MEDC) call center stands ready to support businesses looking
for assistance through other available state programs. For more
information, visit MEDC’s website: www.michiganbusiness.org
or call 888.522.0103. The Michigan Small Business Development Center
can also provide resources for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Visit
their website https://sbdcmichigan.org/small-business-covid19/
for additional information.
FEMA
Aid - The Governor has requested that
President Trump issue a Major Disaster Declaration so that Individual
Assistance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance through FEMA may be made
available to additional Michiganders affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus
and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
For those who have questions about the state’s actions to mitigate
the spread of coronavirus, please call the COVID-19 Hotline at
1-888-535-6136 between 8AM - 5PM daily.
We will
continue to monitor and update as information becomes available.
|