Q&A
Street vendor outreach and education efforts
1:51:23
ยท
133 sec
Council Member Feliz inquires about SBS's role in street vendor outreach and education. Commissioner Gross explains SBS's efforts and collaborations in this area.
- SBS works closely with street vendor advocates and drives vendors toward their business solution centers
- There's no formal assignment of responsibility for small business outreach, but SBS shows leadership in this area
- SBS collaborates with other agencies like DSNY and DOHMH on street vendor education projects
- SBS participated in outreach efforts for supervisory licenses for street vendors
Oswald Feliz
1:51:23
Okay.
1:51:23
Some final questions related to vendors, and then, I guess we'll conclude this part of the testimony so we could hear from the small businesses and bids and chambers of commerce.
1:51:34
A few questions related to vendors.
1:51:38
Is SBS the lead agency in conducting street vendor outreach and education?
1:51:43
Our vendors are smallest businesses.
Dynishal Gross
1:51:47
I mean, I I like to think we're a lead.
1:51:49
I mean, we're leaders.
1:51:50
There's no formal assignment of responsibility that I'm aware of for small business outreach.
1:51:57
But by working closely with advocates in the street vendor community, by working to inform and drive street vendors toward our business solution centers and by managing a citywide outreach team that is consistently doing on the ground research.
1:52:15
You know, I think we show leadership in this area.
1:52:18
However, even the regulatory agencies do attempt to educate vendors and other small businesses about their work.
1:52:25
DOB, you know, has, well, I guess DOB is the one that's probably the least relevant to street vendors.
1:52:31
But I know DSNY and SBS have worked together on street vendor education projects.
1:52:37
We certainly work with DOHMH very closely to, increase awareness and access to the, licenses and permits, that street vendors may need to operate.
1:52:49
And we participated with them in a mailing also about the supervisory licenses when those licenses went, became available.
1:52:59
So, I think their citywide commitment to to spreading the word and education to street vendors, but they're also persistent since systemic challenges.
1:53:09
I would say that, you know, we try to show leadership in in outreach, but we don't have a formal assigned responsibility for that outreach.
Oswald Feliz
1:53:20
Okay.
1:53:20
Talk to us about the New York City Business Express Services team.
1:53:24
What are the goals of the program?
1:53:26
How many staff members are part of the program?
1:53:29
Also, how many compliance adv advisers under the program, and small business advocates.