As of late May, almost 300 Westminster businesses affected by COVID-19 have been approved to receive the WestyRISE Business Grant. More than 400 businesses applied for the grant, after Westminster City Council voted to support a $1.5 million small business relief fund in early April.
The grant is intended to help qualifying businesses with rent and mortgage payments, as a result of hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average grant award amount has been approximately $4,200 and 94% of the grant recipients have been small businesses with up to 20 FTEs.
One local business who applied and was approved was local restaurant, Los Arcos. Said owner, John Luevano, “We have been set back due to the government closures and this will really help to take care of our staff and meet some of the expenses we still have.”
Luevano went on to add, “This has been completely new territory for us. Never have we had to deal with something so devastating and never have we been put in a position of not knowing if we would be able to open from day to day.”
In addition to Los Arcos, the WestyRISE Business Grant helped 65 other food and drink establishments, followed by 58 medical firms, 55 salons and spas, along with numerous other businesses including retail, fitness, manufacturers, and entertainment.
