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The city will now move forward with selecting locations for the five housing sites, one of which will be a modular home to reduce costs. Under the current timeline, they could all be operational in 2022.
Recovery grant program
Meanwhile, local businesses struggling to stay afloat throughout the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for a grant up to $5,000 from the city starting Wednesday.
But only about 900 of 36,000 businesses can directly benefit this year in the first phase of the program that received final approval from city council Monday morning.
About 36 grants will be given out each week, mostly in the form of a $1,000 micro-grant to reach as many businesses as possible, for those who were forced to close during the pandemic or need to retool operations. Funding can be used for expenses such as personal protective equipment, site renovations or launching e-commerce platforms.
But those in need of more financial support will need to wait until 2021, when grants of up to $25,000 will be available for businesses focusing on strategic work to diversify the economy. Up to 300 grants will be available in this phase.
Deputy city manager Stephanie McCabe said a high demand is expected for the program and not all businesses who apply will qualify.
