Latino Businesses Not Receiving ‘Fair Share’ Of Federal Relief, Say Advocates

“50% of Latino businesses will be out of business before we see any direct impact by the federal government.”

By Paul FlahiveMay 1, 2020 10:00 am, , , ,

From Texas Public Radio:

Claudia Garza and her husband Rick own Bright and Early Productions, a photography and videography company targeting the real estate industry. In an effort to keep employees safe from COVID-19 they’re currently only photographing unoccupied homes. They’ve lost business as a result and had to reduce their employees’ hours.

When they found out that $349 million was set aside for the first Paycheck Protection Program, they wanted to apply through the bank where they have their business and personal accounts, Wells Fargo. But they couldn’t.

Claudia Garza described first having trouble with getting someone on the phone, and then when she did, they worked with her at a slow pace.

“It feels like I’m a small fish… maybe they have people who have larger accounts or maybe contacts within the bank. They got the help a lot faster than I did. I don’t have contacts at Wells Fargo,” she said.

Read more. 

 

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and Texas Public Radio. Thanks for donating today.