Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) is very excited to announce the launch of the Illinois Latino Small Business Partnership program.
Illinois Latino Small Business Partnership, funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and powered by the IHCC, provides assistance to small businesses to continue to recover from the pandemic and prepare for growth.
Visit Latino Small Business Partnership microsite: https://ihccbusiness.net/illinois-latino-small-business-partnership/
On July 2nd, 2021, the IHCC was selected as one of the grantees of the Illinois Community Navigator Program. This expansion to the existing community navigator program deploys 13 community navigator organizations to support small businesses statewide who require assistance to access financial assistance available from federal, state, and local government sources.
Latino Small Business Partnership includes the Aurora Hispanic Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Joliet Latino Economic Development Association, The Greater Waukegan Development Coalition, the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and the Southwest Collective. These organizations share a vision and commitment to supporting Latino and underserved businesses.
Illinois Small Business Partnership is a crucial addition to our programs because it enables us to connect with small businesses that have historically been underserved or lack access to assistance. These businesses include many that have suffered the greatest economic loss from this pandemic,” said IHCC President & CEO, Jaime di Paulo.
“We’ll be using a hub and spoke bilingual model in local regions across Northeast Illinois to bridge the gap between business owners and entrepreneurs and financial resources and programs available from the government agencies including the State of Illinois. If we’re going to build back better, we need to ensure that all entrepreneurs have the support they need to recover and grow.”
READ: IHCC named Pedro Guerra as the new Director of the Illinois Latino Small Business Partnership.
Unite as one and work for a better future
All of the communities that the Illinois Latino Small Business Partnership will serve share a distinct trait: a large percentage of the community’s population are Latinos, including several where Latinos are the majority or near majority of the population.
Such is the case in Aurora, Joliet, and Waukegan, where Latinos make up forty-three percent (43%,) thirty percent (30%), and fifty-six percent (56%) of the total population respectively. Similarly, the majority of the population in the southwest and northwest corridors in the City of Chicago are Latino.
The organizations in the Latino Small Business Partnership recognize that Latino businesses are the lifeline of their local communities and are ready to perform the tasks outlined to achieve the stated goals.
The organizations are embedded in their communities and look forward to having resources at their disposal to enhance their work.
Latino Small Business Partnership is committed to building relationships with and gaining the confidence of Latino businesses in communities while providing ongoing assistance far beyond one-off, transactional interactions. This practice is a fundamental aspect of the process to ensure that Latino businesses are aware of and gain access to resources.
Visit Latino Small Business Partnership microsite: https://ihccbusiness.net/illinois-latino-small-business-partnership/
