Here is the latest issue of LI Main Street News for day 130 of the Coronavirus shutdown. This issue includes continued outreach on the SBA PPP program, the Split the Bill program coming to Hempstead, updated resources and a new PSA reminding you to wear your mask. Check it out….
presented by Vision Long Island and the Long Island Main Street Alliance July 23rd, 2020
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Split the Bill NY Comes to HempsteadVision and members of the LI Main Street Alliance were out yesterday in the Village of Hempstead kicking off the “Split the Bill” program for local restaurants. The way it works is go to one of the participating restaurants and the good folks at the Sidgemore Foundation will reimburse you for half of the amount (up to $30 for your total bill of $60 or more) You just have to take a picture of the receipt and your food and upload the photo to their website at splitthebillny.com The kickoff included a press event with Clariona Griffith and Belinda Watkins from the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, Hempstead Mayor Don Ryan, Trustees Charles Renfroe and Waylon Hobbes, Vision’s Director Eric Alexander along with Jeff and Jessica Gelbwaks from the Sidgmore Foundation who are funding the program. Split The Bill NY is a charitable initiative created by the Sidgmore Family Foundation, announced the next phase of their campaign which aims to drive business to local restaurants struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the Village of Hempstead, Split The Bill NY encourages locals to order takeout, delivery, drive-through, or dine-in (if offered) at any of the Participating Restaurants listed on the Split The Bill NY website. After customers have enjoyed their meal, they can then submit a Reimbursement Form confirming the purchase of their meal and within 3-7 days they will receive a reimbursement for 50% of their restaurant receipt, up to $30. The deadline to submit a Reimbursement Form is 11:59 PM on July 22nd, the day of the program. Past Split The Bill NY campaigns have driven over $82,000 in total retail spend to participating restaurants in the Village of Farmingdale, Village of Valley Stream, and Village of Westbury. Several restaurants in the Village of Hempstead are participating in the upcoming program in the hope of driving more business to their establishments. “We hope to continue running more Split The Bill campaigns to help provide economic support to local restaurants, but we are close to exhausting all of our allocated funds,” explained Randi Sidgmore, Founder and Director of the Sidgmore Family Foundation. “In order to expand the program to more locations, we need support from organizations or foundations who are willing to fund a campaign in a town of their choosing.” Split The Bill NY is keeping local officials optimistic about the future of our downtowns. “We’re excited to see the positive impact that Split The Bill NY will have on our local restaurants in the Village,” said Hempstead Village Mayor Don Ryan. “Even though restaurants have been able to reopen, they are still operating at limited capacity. We expect this program to be a huge help in driving business.” This is the fourth stop for the program which has been to downtown Farmingdale, Valley Stream and Westbury. Channels 2, 11, 12, Newsday and videographer Antonio Kelley covered the day. |
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16 Days left in SBA Payroll Protection ProgramNow 16 days left to apply for the SBA’s Payroll Protection Program. There are still over $100 billion in Federal funds left. Lets bring those resources into our Main Streets, independent and minority owned small businesses who have lower enrollment rates! Folks should get the word out each day until the deadline which is August 8th! |
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‘Zoom’ to New Heights with Project IndependenceSince the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the Project Independence and You radio show wanted to continue to provide timely and important information to the senior residents of North Hempstead, caretakers and service professionals. Previous guests and topics included Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Congressman Tom Suozzi, Latest Tips on Frauds & Scams, Financial Concerns surrounding COVID-19 Pandemic, NY State Attorney General Scam Awareness and From Crisis to Calm Coping in an Ever Changing Normal. After listening to an informative guest, be sure to listen to the Talk of the Town to find out about updates, programs and what’s going on around Town! The radio show uses the Zoom platform to organize and coordinate the shows, which is then broadcasted during the normally scheduled time. Project Independence and You airs on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tune in on WCWP 88.1 FM or wcwp.org or download the app! Past episodes are available at northhempsteadny.gov/pi-home. Upcoming Schedule: •July 24 – NYS Senator Anna Kaplan to discuss NYS Senate Updates in regards to Covid-19 Pandemic Don’t forget to listen to Talk of the Town where they discuss everything that is happening in the Town and in the World. Learn about new programs, events and exciting initiatives. Click here to learn more. 2021 Long Island Arts Grant Workshop Schedule ReleasedThe New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Decentralization Grants help to support: · Individual artists in the creation of new work Attendance to one of the following workshops is mandatory in order to apply for a 2021 NYSCA Decentralization grant. The dates, locations and times for the workshops are listed below. Virtual workshops will be presented through ZOOM. Additional information and the login link will be provided after you register for a specific day and time. The dates, locations* and times for the workshops are listed below: You can register for these workshops here. Long Island Arts Council at Freeport Hosting Live, Free ConcertsThe Long Island Arts Council at Freeport will be hosting live, free summer concerts at the Esplanade on the Nautical Mile. Events will take place Thursday nights from 7pm to 8:30pm COVID-19 requirements that must be followed • Attendees need to bring their own chairs Here’s the line-up of performers. Please check our website for updates, possible changes, and rain date location. July 23 July 30 Aug 6 Aug 13 Aug 20 Aug 27 September 3 September 10 Calendar Briefs and WebinarsThe following is a list of upcoming and ongoing calendar events. Check back on each publication for updates: • Virtual Walks: The Health Education Council will be holding Virtual Walks every Monday at 12:30 pm EST and Wednesday at 3 pm EST, with a Spanish language virtual walk each Friday at 3 pm EST. If you’re interested in taking a walk with friends while still practicing social distancing you can head to the the website here to sign up for a virtual walk. A Spanish speaking version is available here. You will then receive a zoom link and all you’ll need is a smart phone and a good pair of shoes and you’ll be in business! • Webinar with Shark Tank’s Daymond John. Join Entrepreneur and AARP Brand Ambassador Daymond John and Work & Jobs for a free webinar, What’s Next: Small Businesses & Second Careers, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 22. The webinar targets small business owners and 50+ workers looking to be their own boss. Register here. For more information, contact Felicia Brown. |
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Full Time HMIS Data Quality Specialist in Amityville, NYThe Long Island Coalition for the Homeless is seeking applicants for a Full-Time Homeless Management Information System HMIS) Data Quality Specialist for our main office in Amityville. This position will be responsible for working closely with shelter and housing providers on LI to ensure the completeness and accuracy of data in our regional client database and the maintenance of the regional client By Name Lists for Housing Prioritization. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Maintains regional By Name Lists for housing referrals. Works with Associate Director and CES Manager to regularly update lists based upon changes in inflow and outflow of clients in the homeless system, changes in prioritization criteria and other relevant factors Must have a commitment to organization’s mission and goals. Must be self-motivated; must be able to work effectively with diverse people and personalities and as a member of a team. Benefits after probationary period will be available. These include paid time off (vacation, holiday, sick, personal), medical insurance for the employee (premium paid by LICH), Dental and Vision insurance optional, Life Insurance for the employee and Simple IRA plan (with employer match). Please see attached job description for more information. This position is for an employment opportunity in Suffolk County, NY. At this time, all work can be remote. While local applicants are preferred, those from outside of the local area will be considered due to the ability to conduct this work remotely (now, and likely, going forward). Hours of operation are 9AM – 5PM EST, and employees will be required to maintain such hours. Interested parties should submit a resume and salary requirements via email to gguarton@addressthehomeless.org Please do not call the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless regarding this position. Questions should be submitted via email only. |
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Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk Announces 2020 Veterans Build in BellportHabitat for Humanity of Suffolk is happy to announce that applications are now open for our 2020 Veterans Build in Bellport, NY. This home is already under construction and should be ready for the new homeowner this fall. Too many of our brave men and women serving this country, are coming home from their tour of duty and still battling the rising cost of housing. In honor of their service, we are giving special preference towards eligible veterans and their families for this home. Who is eligible?
APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AND COMPLETE (with all required documents & credit check fee) NO LATER THAN August 15th. If you are interested in applying, please do so ASAP. Qualified applicants may be accepted and approved before 8/15 if application volume is high so don’t delay! You can download the Application form here. NYS Launches Rent Relief ProgramThe COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance. The Covid Rent Relief Program is not first come, first served. Applications will be accepted throughout the two-week application period. HCR will prioritize eligible households with “greatest economic and social need” accounting for income, rent burden, percent of income lost and risk of homelessness. The rental assistance payment will cover the difference between the household’s rent burden on March 1, 2020 and the increase in rent burden for the months the households is applying for assistance. Households can apply for up to four months in rental assistance. Eligible households must meet the following criteria:
HCR has created a dedicated call center to provide residents with help Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Call the COVID Rent Relief Program Call Center at 1-833-499-0318 or email at covidrentrelief@hcr.ny.gov You can apply for assistance and check FAQ’s here. New York State Accepting Applications for NY Forward Loan FundNew York State has opened pre-applications for the New York Forward Loan Fund. Loans from this fund are available to small businesses, nonprofits, and small landlords in New York State that did not receive a loan from either the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for COVID-19 in 2020. New York Forward loans must be fully repaid over a 5-year term with fixed annual interest rates of 3 percent for small businesses and landlords. Small businesses may apply for the lesser of $100,000 or up to 100% of the average monthly revenues in any 3-month period from 2019 or the first quarter of 2020. This loan can be paid back over five years with first year being interest only. However, if small businesses have received either a PPP loan or an EIDL loan from SBA, they would not be eligible to apply. NYS has set a goal of 18% of total funds under this Program for Long Island Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as industries and regions reopen however, priority for New York Forward Loans will be given to industries and regions that have been reopened. Resources are available to assist in preparing applications for small businesses, landlords and nonprofits in industries and regions that have not yet reopened. To view more details, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here: If you need technical assistance through this process, please contact an Entrepreneurial Assistance Center near you and inform the counselor that you need help for the NY Forward Loan application. You can find your closest contact center here. |
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Wear the Mask!Look let’s be honest – no one wants to wear a mask. With that said they are the reason many small businesses we care about can stay open, many social activities still function in some form or the reason you can see a friend or colleague. There would likely still be government mandated “stay at home” orders if we didn’t have the opportunity to wear these masks. For the significant swath of people out there who don’t wear them given these conditions I sincerely ask “why”? Do you think you are immune, that you won’t really get sick, that government is making all of this up, or that mask wearing orders are just used as a scheme to control people? Even if any of the reasons are even slightly true hopefully we can recognize that we can’t go back to the old normal – which we all want – without dealing with obvious and simple things like wearing masks. With all the radically serious things going on in the world, our nation, NYS, LI and our local communities that include health, economic and racial crisis and divisions we are going to complain about wearing masks? We don’t have to wear these forever – but if we dont’t wear them now the implications for your friends, neighbors and colleagues as well as our local economy and our freedoms could be far worse. Please wear the damn mask! Here is a short public service announcement that hits on some of these themes. |
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Our Daily SponsorGRCH ArchitectsGRCH Architecture Principal Glen R. Cherveny leads a highly successful team of industry professionals with more than 30 years of experience in architecture, design, planning, engineering, and more recently LEED-sustainable architecture. GRCH’s goal of excellence is apparent in their work starting with their high-quality practices in the initial phases of programming and continuing on through the building construction phase and project completion. Their comprehensive approach to each project- and the needs of meeting each client’s totall satisfaction- is paramont to the process. |
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