Grants available for up to 100 small businesses affected by January floods

The city of San Diego Monday announced a program for emergency relief grants for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by the Jan. 22 flooding and subsequent storms.

The Business Emergency Response & Resilience Grant will make financial assistance available for as many as 100 businesses and nonprofits, with each eligible to receive up to $2,500 or up to $5,000 for those within the city's federally designated Promise Zone and Low-Moderate Income Census tract areas.

"We are doing everything we can to ease the burden on residents and small businesses that were in the path of this natural disaster," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "Having our neighborhood businesses up and running is important for the community's recovery from the devastation, and I encourage business owners to start preparing to apply so we can get these grants out to them as quickly as possible."

According to the city, eligible expenses for the grant funds include supplies and labor for storm cleanup efforts; repairs and equipment replacement not covered by insurance; employee wages; and insurance deductibles.

Sarah Anderson, co-founder of San Diego Made, said the more than 2-dozen small businesses that utilize their Logan Heights facility would benefit from that assistance -- from graphic designers to candle-makers.

"It essentially touched all of the different studios that we have here," Anderson said. "Usually it's good vibes and collaboration and creativity in this space. And to have it empty and to not have those folks here right now, it's really sad. I’m excited to have everybody back."

Each of those artists now has to wait until the 8,000-square facility is repaired before they can get back to business. They've already started replacing drywall and new flooring is expected this week. San Diego Made could not get flood insurance, like so many others, and is attempting to raise money through a fundraiser on Saturday to offset the costs.

They will also be applying for the small business grant. The budget for the program is $370,000 through San Diego's Small Business Enhancement Program.

In order to qualify for funding, business owners will need to "demonstrate they were impacted by the storm" and have a current Business Tax Certificate on file with the city. Only businesses with 12 or fewer employees are eligible.

"we're grateful for any assistance that we can get from the city. However, our fundraising was a very important part of us being able to get back on our feet because of the amount of damage that we had here," Anderson said.

If you were affected by the January storms, here is a guide to resources available

More than 1,200 San Diegans displaced by the attendant flooding are living in hotel housing provided by a patchwork of local agencies.

A community resource center for residents affected by the floods closes on Monday. There were more than a dozen services offered from the state, city of San Diego, the county and several non-governmental agencies. Flood victims could receive housing assistance, DMV services, CalFresh benefits and 211 is on hand for any additional needs.

Next week, the city will open a virtual assistance center, so people can keep getting the same help they received at the Mountain View center. More storm response updates from the city can be found here.

More than 600 San Diego flood victims lean on resource center in Mountain View