The City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development (OED) is committed to keeping you updated about new developments in these rapidly changing times. In this weekly blog, we’ll provide you with news and information about new policies and resources available from the City of Seattle, the State of Washington, the federal government, and our private and philanthropic partners. For a full guide to available resources, please visit our online resources hub at: http://www.seattle.gov/office-of-economic-development/covid-19.
Mayor Durkan signed an Executive Order to extend the moratorium on residential, nonprofit, and small business evictions in the City of Seattle until June 4, 2020. The extension follows Proclamation 20-19.1 issued by the Governor, which extends the statewide ban to June 4, 2020.
“The moratorium on evictions is one critical tool we have at the City to keep people in their homes and keep businesses afloat. It was one of the first measures we took to bring relief to our City and why it is critical to maintain during this unprecedented time. These efforts, coupled with our work over the last two months to provide immediate financial relief to working people and small businesses, are critical to helping our communities weather this storm.”
Mayor Jenny Durkan
Read more here.
OED is offering in-language SBA disaster loan technical assistance for the PPP and EIDL loans in languages, including Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, and more
If you are interested in receiving assistance, please e-mail OED@seattle.gov or call 206-684-8090. If you reach the voicemail, please tell us:
If you need language assistance, a bilingual staff member will call you back or we will call in a third-party interpreter on the phone to assist with the conversation. Please note that OED is receiving a high volume of requests for assistance, so you may also experience a wait time while connecting to an interpreter.
On April 28, the City of Seattle and 20 partner cities and counties launched the #SupportPugetSound SmallBiz map, which currently includes 2,600 restaurants and other businesses across Puget Sound that are open for take-out, delivery, and more. You can learn more and use the map here.
If you would like to add your business to the #SupportPugetSoundSmallBiz map, please e-mail supportsmallbiz@seattle.gov.
OED is committed to supporting our small businesses as we work together to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19. We are holding weekly webinars to share new developments, hear about the impacts you are experiencing, and answer your questions. Please join us every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Register for the webinars here.
Join Jennifer Tam, OED’s Food Business Advocate, on May 13 at 2:00 p.m. to learn how the permitting and licensing process works for residents who want to open or expand a food business. Information about operating during the COVID-19 period also will be covered.
Click here to register.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on Monday, May 4 that there was approximately $135 billion in funding for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). You can find the information you’ll need to provide to the bank for a PPP loan application on our website, and download an application here.
If you lead a nonprofit with paid staff, the nonprofit organization 501 Commons is seeking your input on their survey to help them advocate to federal and state policymakers for solutions that work for nonprofits. They are also offering support in applying for PPP loans. Click here to take the survey, and click here to learn about their PPP application assistance for nonprofits.
The SBA also announced that it had reopened the application portal for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for certain applicants.
Businesses that submitted a COVID-19 EIDL application prior to March 30 and have a “2” as the lead number in their application confirmation number must reapply using the new streamlined online application for their application to be processed. Although the SBA website indicates that the EIDL is currently open for agribusiness only, the SBA has confirmed that applicants with a 200-series EIDL loan number WILL be able to re-apply online and have their new loan number tied to their original loan number so they don’t lose their place in line. Click here to access the EIDL application.
Applicants who received a “3” on their 10-digit EIDL application confirmation number have successfully applied using SBA’s new streamlined application and the SBA is processing the application. Businesses will be notified directly when the loan is approved. SBA information and the latest updates from the SBA can be found at www.sba.gov/coronavirus.
In addition, agribusinesses, which were excluded in the first round of EIDL funding, can now apply. Eligible businesses can apply here.
OED continues to provide technical assistance to businesses applying for SBA loans and understanding the CARES Act. This includes helping businesses navigate the application process and documentation. For inquiries, please email OED@seattle.gov or call 206-684-8090.
Governor Inslee, in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health, has developed a phased approach to opening our state economy called “Safe Start Washington,” and the state has begun issuing guidelines for reopening businesses. You can find more information about this phased recovery plan here.
Businesses listed in each phase of the plan will have industry-specific guidance and safety criteria developed to ensure workplace safety and public health are maintained. Those business activities are not authorized to open until the industry-specific guidance and safety criteria are issued.
Beginning May 5, Phase 1 of the Safe Start plan will include drive-in spiritual services with one household per vehicle, auto/RV/boat/ORV sales, retail open for curb-side pick-up orders, car washes, landscaping, and pet walking. Businesses may only re-open when they are able to fully comply with the industry-specific requirements that will be issued no later than May 15, 2020.Find more information about how the state is supporting businesses and workers through this transition here.
The State Department of Health also has compiled a Business Signage Toolkit that includes printable posters and other resources to support businesses and customers through the recovery.
The Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) is offering extensions and waived penalties on tax fillings for businesses affected by COVID-19. The DOR will work with businesses that request an extension on tax filing. Businesses can request such an extension prior to the due date of the tax return, and, if granted, a business would be allowed to delay reporting and paying taxes. DOR may also waive penalties under limited circumstances if a business is late in paying its tax obligation. For more information, please contact DOR at 360.705.6705.
Employers may be eligible for relief of benefit charges if the employer needs to shut down operations temporarily because a worker becomes sick and other workers need to be isolated or quarantined as a result of COVID-19. For more information, click here.
The SharedWork program allows employers to reduce the hours of permanent and hourly-paid employees by as much as 50 percent, and employees can collect partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. While on the SharedWork program, employees are not required to make an active search for work. To apply, click here.
Join industry leaders for a series of online discussions with a live Q & A every weekday in May beginning at 3:30 p.m.. Watch upcoming sessions with Zillow, Uber, and MOD Pizza. Learn more here: https://www.careerconnectathome.org/
Please join the Unemployment Law Project’s weekly Monday webinars as presenters answer questions live from the public about how COVID-19 is affecting unemployment benefits. This webinar is open to the general public. Register here for Unemployment Law Project’s webinar.
Jobscan, a founded tech company based in SODO, is launching a free webinar series throughout May to help individuals polish their resumes and job finding skills in these challenging times.
Register and view the webinar schedule here.
###
