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College Station, Bryan to provide assistance after CARES Act expiration date

Posted at 6:25 PM, Nov 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-30 19:25:05-05

BRAZOS CO, TX — With just one more month left in 2020, tens of millions of Americans are facing very dire consequences if the final COVID-19 relief programs run out by December 31st.

“We are very concerned about some of the CARES Act funding that expires because it’s going to put an extra burden on our local families,” says College Station’s Community Development Director Debbie Eller Community Development Director.

The CARES Act established multiple programs with an expiration date of December 31, 2020. College Station’s Community Development Director Debbie Eller says they [Community Development] are working to put more assistance out to help businesses keep people employed by taking another amendment to their funding to College Station City Council on December 10th.

“So we will, as long as City Council approves it, we will have more funding available for businesses probably rolling out around the first of January,” says Eller.

According to the Economic Assistance Grant Program summary, College Station has assisted in $596,404 through their Community Development Block Grant and $197,507 through CARES Act Funding assisting over 40 businesses. Eller says many businesses would have had to close their doors if it wasn’t for these programs.

“Absolutely some of the businesses have said that they would not have been able to stay in business without this. So, by rolling just a little bit of funding out there and helping support them through those really rough times we think it truly made a difference in College Station,” says Eller.

With Texas A&M being off for an extended winter break due to COVID-19, The Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce, the City of College Station and the City of Bryan are working together to keep business aware of the funds available after the Dec. 31st expiration date.

“A lot of businesses have never ever had to apply for any type of funding so we know it's a little difficult, maybe a little foreign to them, but we are definitely here to help them get through it,” says Bryan’s Community Development Director Alsie Bond.

The City of Bryan is expected to roll out the fourth round of funding by late January.