Business Ambassadors working from Community Futures Development Corporation offices are keeping busy helping businesses and not for profits with wildfire recovery.
Karen Eden is the general manager of Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin in Williams Lake.
“For the month of January it was well over 300 business owners that have been putting in their applications for the Red Cross-phase two which is going really well so there’s still a lot more people to reach out to,” she says.
“We have a couple more months yet to get at them.”
Phase II through the Red Cross provides up to $18,500 for eligible businesses and $8,500 for not-for-profit organizations. Applications to apply for it close on April 6, 2018.
“Many of the businesses they wouldn’t have bothered applying because they don’t have the time or they didn’t know about the phase two opportunities and so they’re grateful that we’ve got somebody here or available that can walk them through the process,” says Eden.
“Most of them are being successful with their application for any loss that they might have suffered.”
Eden adds Community Futures is working on putting together a program that will provide educational opportunities for businesses transitioning either into a different business or out of business.
“That was happening before the fires, but it’s accelerated now after the fires,” she says.
(Editor’s Note: The deadline to apply was incorrect and has been updated)