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QUESTION

What assistance is available for businesses facing foreclosure or lease issues?

0:30:52

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The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) offers a commercial lease assistance program that provides free legal assistance to businesses facing lease issues or the foreclosure process.

The program assists businesses before litigation starts
It cannot assist businesses that have already entered litigation
The goal is to help existing storefronts remain operating
Free pro bono legal aid is provided to businesses having lease disputes with landlords

Selvena N. Brooks-Powers

0:30:52

When but what about the businesses that are, like, on the foreclosure list right now?

0:30:57

Because there are a couple of those properties that if you look, they are on the foreclosure.

0:31:01

Thankfully, we don't have a lien sale going on right now.

0:31:04

But if if we did, they would be at risk of being vulnerable to that as well.

0:31:10

So how can you engage a business when they're at that point already?

Tian Weinberg

0:31:16

That's a great question.

0:31:17

So storefront vacancy is definitely about opening new storefronts, but it's also about keeping existing storefronts operating.

0:31:23

Our commercial lease assistance program works with folks who are in the process of, you know, lease issues with free legal assistance.

0:31:30

So we can definitely work together to connect those business owners with that free pro bono legal assistance.

0:31:36

The only thing I would say is that it's pre litigation.

0:31:40

So if they are, you know, entering into some sort of litigate that that does stop us from working with them.

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What is the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) doing to address vacant storefronts along commercial corridors like Merrick Boulevard in District 31?

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How does the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) coordinate with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reduce storefront vacancy rates?