Virginia Beach Pandemic Relief Partnership to offer aid to residents and small businesses
More help is available for Virginia Beach residents and small business owners affected by COVID-19 through the Virginia Beach Pandemic Relief Partnership.
In late October, the Virginia Beach City Council approved $8 million in funding divided among four nonprofits: the United Way of South Hampton Roads, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and LISC Hampton Roads.
The partnership created VBRelief.org for residents and small business owners to learn how they can receive assistance, apply for assistance and view resources to recover from the trials and tribulations created by the pandemic.
And the ongoing need is great.
More than 13,500 Virginia Beach are earning below the basic cost of living and struggling to make ends meet, according to a news release. As of October, more than 10,770 Virginia Beach residents were unemployed, not including workers who dropped out of the labor force, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. And according to Feeding America, the food insecurity rate for Virginia Beach is expected to be 13.7% in 2020.
The United Way, which serves as the mainstay for the partnership, will provide financial assistance including rent, mortgage, child care, utilities and health.
The Foodbank will focus on food insecurity in the city by purchasing food for distribution at feeding sites, new vehicles to deliver meals to households unable to get to a distribution location, and new refrigeration equipment to expand its nutritious offerings.
The Hampton Roads Workforce Council will provide education and training for unemployed workers. Short-term training will focus on industries currently in high demand: health care, manufacturing, hospitality, skilled trades, information technology, transportation and logistics. Opportunities also exist for apprenticeships, on-the-job and cohort training.
LISC Hampton Roads will offer $10,000 grants to small businesses to use for wages and benefits, inventory, overdue bills and expenses like rent and supplies. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 18.
Michele Anderson, president and CEO of the United Way of South Hampton Roads, said in the release the integrated partnership brings together the collective strengths and experience of the organization to best serve the community.
“We are proud to be working with our colleagues on such an important initiative to help the residents and businesses of Virginia Beach,” she said. “This is truly collaboration at its best.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
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