July 8, 2020, Newsletter

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Greater Northside Management District

July 8, 2020

Dear GNMD Friend,

W e are always looking at new ways to reach out to everyone and to assist businesses, especially during this difficult time.

We’ve partnered with Avenue CDC and the Greater Northside Chamber of Commerce to help distribute business kits assembled by Avenue CDC. The kits include a checklist for businesses as they find ways to operate safely, a poster about social distancing and wearing a face mask, tape for measuring out 6-foot distances and five reusable face masks.

Please reach out to us at (713) 229-0900 if you would like a kit or if there is anything else we can assist you with during this time.

Also in this newsletter is information about the Harris County $30 million grant program to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The program will launch July 13, 2020, at 8 a.m. and will remain open for 10 business days (thru July 22). More detailed information will be released soon.

Here's your chance to win a $25 gift card!

Would you like the opportunity to win a $25 gift card? We have so many great restaurants in the District. To promote them, we are conducting a #DineNorthside gift card drawing.

Here's how to play:

Purchase food from a restaurant in the Greater Northside Management District.
Post a picture of your meal and tell us about your experience on one of our social media sites. Use the hashtag #DineNorthside. To access our site(s), go to:
Facebook: @greaternorthsidemanagementdistrict
Twitter: @GNMDistrict
Instagram: @greaternorthside
Your name will be entered into the gift card drawing.

NOTE: Restaurant owners and employees may not enter the drawing for their

restaurant!

Again, please reach out to us with ideas, concerns and if we can provide any assistance.

Stay Safe,

Rebecca Reyna

Executive Director

#DineNorthside #NorthsideStrong

COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 symptoms and test sites

COVID-19 symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

COVID-19 tests

Two kinds of tests are available for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests .

A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection. An antibody test might not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 might provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. If it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies might provide or how long this protection might last.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Harris County Policy signs

If you wish to reprint the Harris County Policy sign(s) for your business, please click here for the English version and for the Spanish version.

Food distribution

$30 million grant program

to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19

County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Harris County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Small Business Recovery Fund (SBRF) program, a $30 million grant program to assist struggling small businesses who have been unable to obtain financial assistance from other COVID-19 relief programs.

The program will provide eligible businesses a grant of up to $25,000 to help cover payroll costs, rent, accounts payable and other operating expenses. The SBRF targets businesses with 30 or fewer employees and is designed to assist the most vulnerable Harris County small- and micro-enterprises impacted by the pandemic with mounting financial burdens.

The program will launch July 13 at 8 a.m. and remain open thru July 22. More detailed information regarding eligibility requirements, how to access the application online and over the phone, and what residents will need to prepare for the application will be released in the coming week.

COVID-19 resource guide

We have developed a coronavirus guide with links to over 50 websites that provide business, employer and employee resources; coronavirus information; and other resources. This is a useful tool to help our businesses, stakeholders and community with available resources.

To view the guide, click here .

Fair housing & hurricane preparedness:

Grant opportunity for community advocates

Community advocates and organizations with experience and capacity to reach marginalized groups are invited to apply for the City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department's upcoming grant opportunity to share information on fair housing and hurricane preparedness. Attend a virtual grant introduction workshop on Tuesday, July 7, at 1 p.m. to learn details of the grant.

Bridging the digital divide meeting

being held on July 8th

Join Council Member Karla Cisneros on Wednesday, July 8, at 2 p.m. for the virtual Childhood & Youth Committee Meeting. Learn about plans and specific strategies being implemented to bridge the digital divide in Houston’s neighborhoods.

Presenters include the City of Houston IT Director Lisa Kent , the Mayor's Office of Education Director Juliet Stipeche , the City's Chief Response and Recovery Officer Marvin Odum and Gabriella Rowe from the Mayor's Health Equity Taskforce.

Click here for more information and the agenda.

July 14 Positive Interaction Program:

Auto Theft Trends

City of Houston announces artist opportunities

This week, the City of Houston announced its plan to acquire over $3M in artworks for public sites citywide from Houston area and Texas artists. Artists and artist groups statewide can submit qualifications and art proposals to be considered for the city’s Civic Art Collection at Houston Airports.

Additionally, artists in the Greater Houston Area are invited to submit qualifications to create site-specific works for the City’s forthcoming Sunnyside Multi-Service Center.

The advancement of these opportunities, which prioritizes equitable economic support for artists and art organizations that have been heavily impacted by COVID-19, has been coordinated to help meet their needs.

Click here to learn more.

Wesley Community Center to hold virtual job fair

Wesley Community Center, in partnership with the AVANCE-Houston Strong Families, Strong Communities program, is holding a virtual job and career fair for its communities and clients at no cost.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Zoom Job & Career Fair (link to follow)

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Prior to the virtual Job and Career Fair, clients / participants will have gone through a series of mini workshops such as Resumes and Cover Letters and Mock Interviews, followed by the LIVE Zoom Job & Career Fair on a separate date.

The virtual event will host employers/agencies to promote their career opportunities in a variety of fields, including Drivers, Hospitality, Tile and Carpet, Uniform Apparel, Residential and Commercial Maid Services, Customer Services, Retail Sales Consultant, and Office Administrator, Sales, and Educational / Certificate program opportunities.

Click here to read more.

Major closures for this weekend's roadways

Several routes will be closed this weekend for the IH 610 northbound and southbound main lanes. Please seek alternate routes. Details for this closure and other closures pertaining to the IH 69 / IH 610 Interchange Project can be found here .