Take Action Now: Ask SBS Why Chinatown Is STILL Excluded
New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS) still refuses to include 10013 in the Hard-Hit Low and Moderate Income Communities (LMI) Program. Because of this, many iconic Chinatown businesses are denied access to vital funding that could keep them from permanently shuttering.
Now more than ever, Black, Latinx, and Asian businesses are struggling with access to capital. The launch of these programs is a targeted approach to provide relief efforts in communities that need it most.
-Jonnel Doris, NYC Department of Small Business Services
10013 is unfairly excluded despite Chinatown being identified as one of the 39 LMI neighborhoods. Using ZIP code-level median income as the determining factor hurts already struggling Asian-owned businesses in Chinatown because of its proximity to SoHo and TriBeCa. Welcome to Chinatown launched The Longevity Fund, the only exclusively small business grant program for Manhattan’s Chinatown, to address the multitude of socioeconomic, language, and cultural barriers that prevent Chinatown business owners from getting aid. Our work has shown us there is a great need in 10013 with 62% of our Longevity Fund applicants located in that zip code. 98% of our applicants in 10013 were Asian, and half of our applicants had 100% Asian staff.
Ask SBS why a program targeted to provide relief efforts to hard-hit POC communities has excluded a majority of Chinatown.
Chinatown needs your help more than ever. Ordering takeout and delivery is not enough. Take a few minutes to make a big impact! Email SBS Commissioner Jonnel Doris at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sbs/about/email-the-commissioner.page and write a complaint. Ask the Commissioner to include 10013 in the LMI recovery program and to stop using zip codes as the sole determinant for future programs. Below is a template that you can use when completing the “Email the Commissioner” page. Once you submit your form, don’t forget to take a screenshot. Encourage your followers to join in and tag @welcome.to.chinatown on Instagram.
TEMPLATE
Message Type: Complaint
Message Topic: Emergency Response / Assistance for Small Business
Commissioner Doris,
I am a resident of [NEIGHBORHOOD], [CITY] and an impassioned supporter of Manhattan’s Chinatown. I am writing to ask why zip code-level median income was the sole determining factor in the LMI program, resulting in the exclusion of 10013 in the LMI Recovery Program. I urge you to take action by re-evaluating the criteria of the LMI program and subsequent programs to ensure all of Chinatown is included, and to provide a solution for 10013 to receive the small business relief it should have received from the LMI program. Chinatown, one of the most culturally significant and historic neighborhoods for Asian Americans, is counting on you to step up for its survival.
