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$250M State Grant Portal Opens Tomorrow for Area Businesses

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Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, PPP loans, COVID-19 updates, and where the county is opening up through Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as more and more are opening up in McHenry County. If MCEDC can be of any help, please call. Forward this email to your friends and family to help get the word out!

 

State $250M Busines Grant Portal Opens Tomorrow

Applications officially open tomorrow for the state’s new $250 million Back to Business Grant Program.
The program, which builds on last year’s successful Business Interruption Grant program, offers small businesses funds to help offset losses due to COVID-19 and bring back workers.
Grants will range from between $5,000 and $150,000 per business and can be spent to cover a wide range of costs, from operations and staff to overhead.
About $100 million of the grant funding is reserved for businesses located in areas determined to have been disproportionately impacted, which in McHenry County includes the ZIP codes for Harvard (60033) and Richmond (60071).
Most of the remaining funding is targeted at businesses that did not receive previous federal and state assistance. About $30 million is set aside for arts and entertainment venues that did not receive SBA Shuttered Venue Operator Grants, and $25 million apiece is set aside for restaurants and taverns that did not get SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grants and businesses that did not get state BIG funding because the funds were exhausted.
Click here to learn more about the new grant and its eligibility guidelines, and to find the link to the application portal once it opens.
The state is spending another $9 million to expand the community navigator program that assists residents and businesses applying for COVID-related assistance. To find a community navigator near you to help you apply for this new grant, click here.

 

IDPH launches ‘Vax Verify’ portal

The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched Vax Verify, a new online portal that allows Illinois adults to check their COVID-19 vaccination record and be able to confirm their vaccination status if needed.
The portal, which can be found here, was created as more businesses, events, organizations, employers, and other entities require proof of vaccination for customers and workers. Residents using the safe and secure portal will have to go through a brief, one-time identity verification process in order to gain access to their immunization history.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19, and to prevent mitigations from returning. To find a vaccination location near you, please visit vaccines.gov.
If you’re a business owner, you can bring the vaccine to your employees by hosting a vaccination clinic through the McHenry County Department of Health. You can apply by completing the “Request a Clinic” form available on the MCDH’s COVID-19 Vaccine Locations page, which you can find by clicking here.

 

Student loan repayment freeze extended

The Biden administration has extended a pause on federal student loan repayment to the end of January 2022.
The payment freeze was supposed to expire on Sept. 30; the US Department of Education stated that this most recent extension is the final one.
Loan payments, interest accruals, and collections of defaulted loans have been on hold since March 2020, and the hold has been extended three times since. The pause has helped federal student loan borrowers save $7 billion a month, according to an estimate by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The extension comes on the heels of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granting one final extension to Oct. 3 of its moratorium on evictions in counties with “substantial” or “high” spread of COVID, which includes McHenry County.
County residents struggling with rent, and landlords as well, can apply for the McHenry County Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance Program. The program gives qualifying tenants or landlords suffering COVID-related financial hardship up to 18 months of assistance with future bills, or up to 12 months of past-due payments, provided they meet the eligibility and income guidelines. Immigration status is not a factor, and is not asked of applicants.
The online application portal can be found at www.McHenryRent.com. Renters who do not have Internet access can call the McHenry County Housing Authority at 815-338-7752, or Consumer Credit Counseling Services at 815-338-5757 for Spanish speakers.
Federal unemployment programs that expanded unemployment eligibility, increased payments, and extended the duration of benefits, are still set to expire on Sept. 6.

 

Workforce Network program can cover retaining costs

Are you a business owner looking to train employees in order to retain them? A program through the McHenry County Workforce Network can reimburse you for half of the cost.
The Incumbent Worker Training Program was developed to help businesses avoid layoffs, downsizing or closures by giving current employees the training they need to improve their skills.
Qualifying businesses must meet certain criteria, and also must meet certain “at-risk indicators” such as declining sales, supply chain issues, adverse industry or market trends, and/or changes in ownership or management philosophy.
For more information on the IWT program, contact Pete Hall at 815-334-2773 or PCHall@mchenrycountyil.gov, or Thom Faber at 815-334-2798 or TAFaber@mchenrycountyil.gov.

 

McHenry County EDC turns 30

One of Resume McHenry County’s key partners in getting our business community back on its feet just turned 30!
The McHenry County Economic Development Corp. was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit public-private business advocacy group made up of business and industry leaders countywide to leverage the county’s many resources to support continued economic development. The MCEDC helps build long-term economic development strategies and acts as a liaison between the public and private sectors to help meet the needs of businesses, with the goal of helping businesses, municipalities, and the county as a whole thrive.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns aimed at slowing its spread, the MCEDC partnered with the county government and other entities to form the Resume McHenry County task force to help work for the successful and safe reopening of county businesses.
Click here to visit the MCEDC‘s website and learn more about what it has to offer.

 

Richmond kicks off inaugural Dancing in the Streets festival

Each Resume McHenry County e-newsletter since the June lifting of COVID capacity restrictions has highlighted the return of a well-established or fledgling event or festival.
It’s our pleasure in this edition to introduce a brand new one that hopefully will take its place in future years among McHenry County’s cherished traditions.
The Village of Richmond is pleased to introduce “Dancing in the Streets,” an outdoor festival from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, at Stevens Park and East Broadway Road, a block of which will be blocked off.
Dancing in the Streets will be six hours of free, live musical entertainment, with food and drinks available from Richmond Brathaus.
If you live in the Richmond area, feel free to click on and download the promotional poster and share it on social media!

 
We hope we got your attention. We need your help reaching more McHenry County residents and businesses to share this important information about the COVID-19 response and connect them with vital resources.
Please take these four steps:
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Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 in our region, resources to help you navigate the pandemic, safety tips and more!

 

What is Resume McHenry County?

Resume McHenry County is a collaborative initiative being implemented by McHenry County and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in partnership with the McHenry County community, including cities and villages, businesses and residents. The goal is to ensure a successful reopening of our economy so that we can return to our lifestyles safely and responsibly.