Join HABLA on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 1pm LIVE on our Facebook Page for our next Platica regarding "The Financial Impacts and State of Small, Latino-owned Businesses during COVID-19" with Lourdes Zuniga, Executive Director Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas and Paul Saldaña, HABLA Co-Founder and Faciliator. 



As we know, local small businesses continue to shape and influence the local economic landscape of our community, however during the current COVID-19 pandemic our businesses continue to experience daily challenges to sustain operations and adequately support our employees and families. 



Unlike other businesses, many local small minority/women-owned businesses continue to face market and financial barriers and discrimination. People of color continue to earn less than their counterparts and are routinely subjected to predatory lending, higher interest rates, which impairs their ability to raise traditional capital and financing. And certainly negatively impacts our ability to qualify and/or access Federal Economic Stimulus dollars via SBA and/or other bridge gap financing. 



Much of these disparities are well documented in previous City disparity study reports. 



In a recent national survey facilitated by LULAC and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of more than 500 Latino small-business owners (including Austin, Travis Co) only 97 firms who applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans received funding. 



In fact, national data suggests that during the overall first round of PPP loans, 95% of African-American owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses and 75% of Asian-owned businesses were NOT funded. 



Why is all of this important? Because local, small, minority and women owned businesses represent the fastest growing businesses in the nation, state, city and county and our success will have an enormous and positive impact on the future economic success of our communities. 

RSVP & Event Details here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/238521640832295/