As Massachusetts’ reopening process continues to progress, businesses are slowly and cautiously starting to reopen. Given some enterprises are gradually starting to recuperate, the state’s administration has turned its attention to helping Massachusetts’ underrepresented populations in this next series of announcements. These reforms will still have an impact on your business, nonetheless, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the latest updates.

Crisis Counseling Assistance Program Unveiled

Gov. Baker announced a new crisis counseling assistance program to address the behavioral health of Massachusetts residents as a result of COVID-19. This new program, entitled MassSupport, will utilize the Riverside Trauma Center’s trauma response and crisis intervention proficiency to offer behavioral health assistance and referrals. This resource is particularly helpful to staff members deemed essential – such as grocery store and transit workers – due to the challenging conditions they’ve had to endure. Inform your team of the MassSupport hotline at 888-215-4920 and implore them to seek help if needed.

$275M COVID-19 Economic Relief Package Approved

A relief package has been unveiled aimed at generating economic growth during the pandemic. This package’s three major areas of investment include housing, community development, and business competitiveness. Gov. Baker intends this bill to support minority-owned small businesses, particularly women, minority, immigrant, and veteran business owners. Some of the funds are proposed to be allocated as follows:

• Increased funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) by $25
• Increased funding for grants to support micro-businesses by $10 million
• $15 million investment in distressed homes, in collaboration with community organizations

To discover more about the Economic Relief Package and how it may affect your business, visit Mass.gov’s dedicated page.

Step two of Phase 2 of Massachusetts’ reopening process – as discussed in our previous installment – has helped many businesses, and with the economy taking small steps toward recovery, it’s time to recognize the need to allocate funds toward the underrepresented business owners. While this is welcome news, the pandemic is far from over and – in some parts of the country – cases are beginning to spike again. Therefore, a rollback or stall of the reopening plan is a strong possibility. It’s important to continue your marketing and prepare for another lockdown. If you need advice or a consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us at Vision Advertising.