Ahmed Quaraja, who owns the Columbus food truck Zaki, speaks English, but filing paperwork for small business loans and grants is still a challenge.
“I’ve never been to school in the U.S.,” said Quaraja, a Palestinian immigrant. “Some words in the paperwork, I don t know what they mean.”
The knowledge gap was especially problematic when Quaraja needed to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans to keep his business open during the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus outbreak last spring. He wasn’t sure what documents were needed or how to fill out the application forms.
The Palestinian restaurateur is lucky enough to have a bookkeeper who shepherded him through the process, resulting in successful loan applications. But advocates for immigrant and refugee business owners worry that less fortunate entrepreneurs are falling through the cracks as the last loans and grants from pandemic assistance programs are dolled out.