Challenges to survive: CT's Black business owners highlight obstacles to receiving government aid
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Photo: File photo
As Congressional negotiations advanced toward a long-delayed coronavirus-relief package, Black business owners from across Connecticut told U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal that the legislation needs to provide wide-ranging aid for minority-owned firms.
New federal assistance cannot arrive soon enough, business owners said during the online forum Wednesday that was co-hosted by the Black Business Alliance and the Southern Connecticut Black Chamber of Commerce. The CARES Act that passed in March created the $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program to support small businesses, but many in the meeting expressed frustrations about its slow and complex application process and said it needs to cover a broader range of other costs such as rent payments and utilities.