DMA RESPONSE TO COVID-19

A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
 
Dear Friends of DMA, community and local businesses,
 
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER! Division Midway Alliance (DMA) understands the challenges our communities are facing due to COVID-19. This moment of crisis has strengthened our commitment to you and our mission to serve our communities and local businesses.
 
In order to ensure safety of our community and staff, DMA has temporarily stopped all in-person support. We are available to provide support and services virtually. Over the past several weeks, DMA’s team have been hard at work adapting our services. We have created innovative and creatives ways to reach and support you.  We have reached out to more than 100 businesses to understand the impact through our online survey and shared available resources. 15 businesses from DMA district successfully applied to Portland Small Business Relief Grant.  Our community liaisons are providing virtual and over the phone support to community members complete the unemployment insurance claim. Our team is also making sure that our community are represented through Census 2020.

We are constantly monitoring the situation, following public health officials’ guidelines, and informing the community through our social media outlets. Please also check DMA's complied resource list. We are also assessing the COVID-19 impact on our residents especially the most vulnerable and refugee groups.

Our team members are available through emails and for meetings via phone or video conference. If you have any concerns or questions, please email us at info@divisionmidway.org or call us at 503-841-5201. We encourage you to be strong, reach out to one another and share the resources listed below.
 
Take care,
 
Lisha Shrestha
Executive Director
Division Midway Alliance

DMA COVID-19 Resource List

As our community is struggling to navigate through the impact that COVID-19 has caused many DMA employees are hard at work in identifying resources that provides both businesses and residents immediate relief. Our resource list will be updated with brand new information when available. The resource list may be accessed @DMAResourceList.
 

Business Survey

Division Midway District Business Impact

As a community impacted by COVID-19, DMA would like to know more about how your business is navigating through these difficult times, therefore, we developed a survey to learn about the experiences of businesses within the Division neighborhood. In order to gather more information, DMA developed a survey to help assess how the COVID-19 is impacting local retailers and product companies in order to help provide an accurate picture to state & local officials and also our community partners & funders.

Some excerpts from the survey includes:

• “We have lost a little above 50% of sales, but are doing the best we can to keep our doors opened and keep our employees. 
• “Publicity would be nice to let the neighbors know that we are still open. A loan to keep up with the bills would be really helpful”. 
• “I need money to cover the lease and insurance for my business and money for living costs” .

The survey may be accessed @https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc83u0OLThWnAAZYMtueDAoCEEPsc8wrTMXBrLkyn_sPBcHLA/viewform

Business Resources

Livelihood Northwest
Virtual Advising Session: Our program partner Livelihood NW continues to be a (virtual) resource hub to small businesses, by offering intensive one-on-one consulting to enrolled clients, adapting all our workshops and trainings to online delivery, expanding accessibility for crucial peer-to-peer entrepreneurial support through virtual platforms, and opening new channels for small business owners to seek professional business advisory services through our new and exciting “Chat will a Business Advisor” portal and “Virtual 1:1 Business Advising” scheduling through their website.
 
Small Business Association
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Under this program, small businesses and nonprofit organizations are eligible for an emergency advance loan of up to $10,000 with no requirement for repayment.
The SBA is also making the Paycheck Protection Program available on Friday, April 3 to help businesses keep their workforce employed during this crisis.
Application information and details on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program are available on SBA’s website.

Storefront Grant
Division Smiles Family Dental
We are excited to share that Division Smiles Family Dental has successfully completed their storefront grant improvements project. With the help of Division Midway Alliance Storefront Improvement Grants, the business completed the following projects-- The Window Project

For more information: Please visit @https://www.divisionsmiles.com/

                                                                                                                                                                   Before                                          After

NEW Staff

Intro to Bookkeeping
1-Night Class
Date: April 27, 2020

Time: 4:00-6:00
Cost: $5 client / $25 non-client (subsidies available)

Location: ZOOM virtual meeting (a link will be sent to registered participants)
 

Does your business accounting system consist of a shoe-box of receipts? Are you ready to face the accounting side of your business? Join Livelihood NW at our Intro to Small Business Bookkeeping Workshop!

REGISTER TODAY!

 

Business Development Workshop Series

5-Week Series


Date: April 22, 2020
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Cost: $25 client / $175 non-client (subsidies available)

Other Resources for Community & Businesses

Multnomah County Health Department 

Congressman Earl Blumenauer