The Town of Greece is unveiling a program to help get financial help to small businesses struggling from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
Town Supervisor Bill Reilich says the program, called GROW (Grant Support for Businesses, Retain Jobs in Greece, Opportunities Provided, Working together to move small business forward) will funnel federal money into the hands of the owners of retail and service sector businesses, places like restaurants and shops.
He says it uses $100,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and for the initial phase, there will be grants of $5,000 each to 20 businesses.
“Service industry would be obviously, retail stores, the businesses that have been hit the hardest in our community with COVID and we’re just trying to help them with a little bit of money to get them by until they are fully able to open up again,” Relich said.
Reilich said the next phase of the program would divvy up another $100,000 and eventually town officials hope to be able to award low interest business loans.
The program is targeted toward businesses in the Town of Greece with between 5 and 50 employees.
