Download This PaperPandemic Relief for Latino-Owned Businesses: Lessons from the Washington DC Metropolitan Area
60 Pages Posted: 20 Sep 2021
Date Written: September 2021
Abstract
This report offers an in-depth case study of the challenges encountered by Latino businesses in the Washington DC metropolitan area (DMV) when seeking aid to weather the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. We begin by reviewing the importance of Latino-owned businesses for the region’s economy prior to the pandemic. Building upon previous research, we then describe the economic impacts of the pandemic upon the area’s Latino-owned businesses, and the difficulties business owners encountered in accessing successive rounds of federal Paycheck Protection Program relief funds. We go on to compare jurisdictions throughout the DMV in terms of their handling of federal and state aid, development and promotion of their own relief programs, institutional mechanisms for delivering aid, and customized efforts to reach Latino business owners. Finally, in anticipation of the next crisis, we identify steps to limit the vulnerability of the region's Latino-owned businesses by strengthening the institutional ecosystem of support for these businesses.
Keywords: Washington DC, COVID-19, Latino, Small Business
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