Haywood County COVID-19 Update

Haywood County NC -- Haywood Recovery Fund

The Haywood Chamber of Commerce, Haywood Economic Development, Haywood Advancement Foundation and Haywood County Government have all teamed together and formed #HaywoodStrong #HaywoodRecovery fund. This fund will be established through private donations and contributions.

The #HaywoodStrong #HaywoodRecovery is specifically for those who have been impacted by COVID-19 crisis by providing bridge funding for small businesses.

To start the fund, the Haywood County Government committed $100,000 and Haywood Advancement Foundation $250,000. We anticipate those funds will be depleted in a very short period of time.

We cannot do this alone and need you to join us at #HaywoodStrong #HaywoodRecovery community and make a donation to Haywood Advancement Foundation a 501(c)3 . A little can go a long way in aiding our local Haywood businesses as we face the challenge of recovery. Together we will remain strong, unified and resilient.

Applications are being processed by our community partner, Mountain Bizworks.

For more information contact the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce or visit their website.

Don’t Fall Victim To Small Business Loans
The Mountaineer

In March, the federal government enacted a $2 trillion federal relief package — the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)—to help offset some of the financial difficulties that individuals, families, and businesses have faced as a result of the economic impacts and job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CARES Act includes the Paycheck Protection Program, a $350 billion effort to offer loans to small businesses to help keep their employees employed, as well as additional Economic Injury Disaster Loan funding.
As the Small Business Administration (SBA) implements this program, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein warns there are some things small business owners should be aware of as they apply for loans or other financial relief to keep scammers and fraudsters from compounding your financial pain:
· Don’t be fooled by phishing attempts. The SBA has noted that it does not initiate contact on either 7a or disaster loans or grants, so if you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA about these funds, it is likely a scam.
· You do not need to pay any fees to receive these relief payments and loans, and no one can speed up the time it takes for you to receive the payment. Anyone making such offers to you is a scammer.
· Don’t fall for lending scammers. If you’re working to get a relief loan, be careful of scammers disguised as lenders who come out of the woodwork and claim to be able to help you get the loan you need. Stick to local banks or lenders you’ve worked with before or are already familiar with, get recommendations from people you trust, or contact any federally insured bank, federally insured credit union, or Farm Credit System institution to find out if they are participating.
· If you receive an email or correspondence that asks for your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) related to an SBA loan application, be sure that the email is legitimate. Review the sender’s email address (legitimate communications will come from sba.gov) and make sure the referenced PII number matches the one you have on record.
· Watch out for debt negotiation or debt settlement scams. Avoid companies or out-of-state lawyers that offer to eliminate or cut your debts, including your tax debt, by negotiating with your creditors or the IRS – they often charge large fees and may leave you even deeper in debt. Under North Carolina law, it’s illegal to collect any upfront fee for debt settlement services – don’t pay these fees and question any company that charges them.
For additional guidance related to the COVID-19 response, please visit the SBA’s resource page [sba.gov] or the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Please report any suspected fraud to the SBA’s Office of the Inspector General here [sba.gov] or by telephone at 800-767-0385, and to the NCDOJ’s Consumer Protection Division at https://ncdoj.gov/complaint [ncdoj.gov] or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

April 8

HAYWOOD COUNTY –
Negative results 116

Positive results 3 – two out of the three are now considered “recovered”

Awaiting results 23

Total tested 142

(photo credit Marjorie Farrington)