Quick decisions, long-term help

As they check to make sure their residents are safe, NeighborWorks network organizations are finding other, concrete ways to deal with issues that accompany social distancing and economic well-being in the wake of the COVID-19 virus. In Maine, Avesta Housing is looking at ways to keep senior citizens connected, while in New York, Asian Americans for Equality Inc. (AAFE), is moving quickly to help businesses harmed by racism and xenophobia. 

Portland, Maine

Like many organizations, Avesta Housing's 75 State Street, an independent and assisted living center in Portland, Maine, was left with a smaller staff in the wake of the COVID-19 virus. Some staff members were sick or self-quarantined. With a population that is considered "vulnerable" to the new, easily spreadable virus, 75 State Street closed to visitors. The assisted-living community also closed its dining room, canceled group activities and asked residents to practice social distancing by staying in their apartments. But they didn't want the seniors to experience social isolation, says Sara Olson, director of development and communications for Avesta, a NeighborWorks network organization.

So this week, 75 State Street purchased four Chromebooks that staff will work with residents to use to video chat with family members. The funding came out of the general operating budget.

It's hard for the essential staff to do caretaking and tech support at the same time, Olson says, but they felt they had to do something.

"It's challenging," she says. "They're trying to come up with creative ways to keep people connected while keeping them safe and healthy. They're exploring a lot of different approaches."

In addition to the new technology, Olson says they're also handing out old-school items like paper, crayons and crossword puzzles to help keep residents busy. And they're checking in with family members to encourage "many phone calls" and remote check-ins to support residents. 

New York, New York

Even before any cases of the novel coronavirus had been announced in New York, Asian Americans for Equality Inc. (AAFE), had been hearing that Asian-owned businesses were seeing a downturn of customers. Some people feared they would be contaminated by eating at restaurants or shopping in stores, says Thomas Yu, co-executive director of AAFE, a NeighborWorks network organization. 

"Restaurants were hardest hit," he says. "Salons. Wedding studios. Day cares. Senior care centers. Travel agencies. Those kinds of things were hit first. But now, with citywide and statewide shutdowns, every business is feeling the pain."

AAFE had set up emergency loans for other disasters, like Hurricane Sandy. "We saw the need to do that now, with various neighborhoods around the city," Yu says. 

They decided that proceeds from their annual gala would be devoted to seeding the organization's emergency loan fund. They also received money from donors, federal funds and lines of credit from banks. Yu expects to fund to exceed $3 million. He says he's also hoping to work with a small business service agency in New York as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to find ways to buy down loan interest or add to the loan pool.

"We're looking to deploy rapidly," he says. "We already have 100 businesses lined up."

Yu says Asian-American run and immigrant-run businesses were affected about a month earlier than everybody else. He's worried. Often, he says, the businesses are run by people in poverty. "This is the only way of lifting themselves out. For them to lose this is devastating."

Speed makes a difference with loans, he says. Often the more quickly a loan is deployed, the more of a chance there is that the business will survive. During Hurricane Sandy with disaster lending, he said, they had a 20 percent default rate. It's not as good as their usual 1 percent default rate, he says, "but what it tells us is that 80 percent of the businesses survived, instead of 100 percent of the businesses failed."
 
"We have a lot of people depending on us," Yu says.