Coronavirus: Find Help – Update
Updated 04.04.2020
As the day, weeks, and possibly months of the COVID-19 health crisis pass; the needs of the community will evolve. There is help available to Southwest Alabama residents. We will update the community about the various services available throughout this difficult time. We also anticipate individuals, families, and businesses will continue to need help after the social distancing policies are lifted.
UNDERSTANDING THE CORONAVIRUS – MULTILINGUAL
SOURCE: Cultural Survival
URGENT PSAs on the coronavirus are available in Español, Ayuujk, Purépecha, Kaqchikel, K’iche’, Tseltal, Mam, English, Sunuwar, Tamang, Nepalí, Gurung, Maasai, Hindi, Luo, and Afrikaans. We are working on more languages. Click here to listen and share.
AGENCY ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE
UWSWA partner agency Lifelines Counseling Services has compiled a guide to access the available services to residents of Southwest Alabama. As needs grow and change and as services change to meet them, Lifelines will update the guide.
FOOD ASSISTANCE
During the short-term closure of Alabama schools though April 6 due to COVID-19 precautions, students in need of breakfast and lunch can receive them free at sties across the area.
Find the active participating programs:
- Choctaw County Programs
- Clarke County Programs
- Mobile County Programs
- Washington County Programs
DISTANCE LEARNING FOR CHILDREN
Character Playbook – Parents: Want to make sure your students are still building their character muscle during distance learning? Character Playbook is a free resource United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA) is proud to offer Southwest Alabama for elementary, middle, and high school students to support healthy character development! Distance Learning for Students K-12 – Click here.
Learning Resources – A Guide to the World of Shel Silverstein for Parents, Teachers, and Librarians. Click here for lessons, event kits, and drawing booklets.
SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
SOURCE: Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce – the will be updating their website daily.
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Teleconference Series
- Are You Safe Working at Home – An IT Perspective on Digital Treats and How to Manage Risks – Connect to Webinar
- Alabama Small Business Center – Step-by-Step Process of Applying for a SBA Loan – Connect to Webinar
Southwest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce
Washington County Chamber of Commerce
Grove Hill Chamber of Commerce
Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce
The Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) is extending relief to small retail businesses that are unable to timely pay their February, March, and April sales tax liabilities.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to make Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). The SBA will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits that have been severely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
Updated 10:45 AM Tuesday 3/31/2020 – On Friday, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program was amended to add a $10,000 emergency grant that is available quickly to businesses. Applications to the EIDL Program are made online directly to SBA. As a result of that change and the traffic to their website SBA has totally revamped and streamlined the disaster loan application process. The application, now online, is completely different than the earlier version. The new application is streamlined and easier to maneuver. IT can be completed more quickly than the original version they rolled out on March 18th. If you applied for a Disaster Loan prior to Friday, you need to log into the new system to check your status. If the version now showing in the system isn’t the new version, it is recommended you apply again to ensure you can take advantage of this emergency grant. Borrowers can apply by clicking on the below link to be redirected to the new Economic Injury Disaster Loan application website which is
To apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Grant Using the New Application System, click here.
The US Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration announced new guidance outlining state flexibilities in administering their unemployment insurance programs to assist Americans affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
For example, federal law allows states to pay benefits where:
- (1) An employer temporarily ceases operations due to COVID-19, preventing employees from coming to work;
- (2) An individual is quarantined with the expectation of returning to work after the quarantine is over; and
- (3) An individual leaves employment due to a risk of exposure or infection or to care for a family member.
In addition, federal law does not require an employee to quit in order to receive benefits due to the impact of COVID-19.
The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) Alabama small business owner that experiencing economic harm should submit an EIDL economic injury verification of loss worksheet to the Alabama district office. Alabama unemployment benefits are available to individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own.
- The Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance declaration issued by the SBA makes loans available statewide to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations to help alleviate economic injury caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This will apply to current and future disaster assistance declarations related to Coronavirus.
- The Alabama SBDC Network, in conjunction with its outreach partners, is holding a series of webinars throughout the week to guide companies through the SBA Disaster Loan application process. We will be sharing lessons learned from our own SBDC clients that have already submitted an application, and insights gained from our SBDC colleagues throughout the US. There is no charge to attend these events, but registration is required, as room capacity is limited. More details – Small Business Disaster Loans WEBINARS
United States Bartenders’ Guild National Charity Foundation – COVID-19 Grants are available through the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program. You do not need to be a member to apply.
The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation has created the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF) to support U.S. restaurant workers financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The Fund will be distributing grants to individuals who apply and meet the RERF eligibility requirements. Applications for the grants will be made available starting April 2. Click here for eligibility and to apply,