Colleen Padilla, Executive Director at SOREDI

This week, commissioners from Jackson and Josephine counties chose SOREDI to administer a new CARES Act Business Grant Program.

T program.

Newswatch 12's ana orsini spoke with the executive director for soredi about what this could mean for the community.

<" but when you talk about millions of dollars, it goes quickly.

So what is the deadline for people to apply?

How fast do they need to get on this?

Uh, well, the application process will actually open tomorrow for jackson county and for justin county will open up on saturday.

Um, again, we can go to the website to look at that.

Uh, the dollars will go quickly.

Uh, it could be as much as $10,000 per full time equivalent, but it is based on a lot of other, um, um, information that the business will have to input.

So not every business is going to receive the same amount it's kind of on a need basis.

Um, that's correct.

While we have a formula, both counties also reserve the right to look at how many applications are coming in and make adjustments as best possible.

During this time, the deadline is december 30th.

That's just four weeks away essentially.

And so we anticipate we'll probably be processing somewhere in the neighborhood of five or 600 different applications.

And we have a full-time staff ready to do that for our business community in both counties.

And with the december 30th deadline, obviously this could be a really great way for some of those businesses to start the new year.

Maybe feel like they have some more padding under them.

Are you expecting more funding to become available in the future?

Well, you're right.

This is going to be a light for those businesses and get a little bit of good cheer.

We hope they are hurting in the last few months.

Uh, we have already processed in nearly $1.8 million in grants for all of the jurisdictions in our region.

With previous funds.

These funds are going to go quickly.

Uh, again, we just want people to get on it and, uh, you know, take advantage of this opportunity.

We do not necessarily expect that there will be additional rounds of funds.

So right now is really kind of people should be treating as almost the last stitch effort.

These funds are there.

So you really just are encouraging these businesses to apply.

Yes, that's correct.

Please go to our website.

It's so ready.org and then go to so carers.

So c a r e s.

There's an application button for jackson county and an application button for josephine county.

And again, the deadline is december 30th.

Um, and so we just encourage you to get there today and start taking a look at what information you will need to share.

And right now we're talking jackson and josephine, but are there any other plans or any other, i guess, funding and process kind of, for some of the other counties in southern oregon?

Well, yes.

The other counties in southern oregon would as all 36 counties in the state will have opportunity for this.

Um, i do know that in coos and curry county, on possibly douglas county, they are using our partner agencies, ccd corporation.

And i imagine that over in, uh, lake and klamath county, they're probably using our counterpart over there as well.

So, um, it is available to all counties.

In the state, if the counties have decided to contract with the state to disperse the funds for you guys, jackson and josephine, people need to head on over to the website as soon as tomorrow to really get an application.

Yeah, that's correct.

So ray will be, um, managing the application process for both jackson and just in county.

Okay.

Well, and five to 600 businesses sounds like a lot of work, but i'm sure that you guys are just grateful to have the opportunity to do this once again, and with such a.

A big pot of money.

We are super grateful.

And honestly, it's not that big amount of money there's so much need out there, but again, we just hope it gives a little bit of hope in this season to the businesses that are hurting.

Absolutely.

When you talk about dividing it between those businesses, it obviously isn't like winning the lottery, but like you said, very needed during this time for businesses and hopefully it'll get them starting their new year, back on better feet.

That's our hope well claim.

Thank you for joining us today and thank you again for just being so committed to seeing businesses recover from this pandemic here in southern oregon.

Thank you for having us today.