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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Department of Small Business Services testimony on street vendor support and Intro 408
0:25:41
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3 min
Haris Khan, Chief of Staff at the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), provides testimony on SBS's support for street vendors and the department's perspective on Intro 408. He outlines the current services and outreach efforts of SBS for small businesses, including street vendors, and expresses concerns about the proposed creation of a separate division for street vendor assistance.
- SBS offers various no-cost services to support entrepreneurship, including street vendors, through business centers, a hotline, and online resources.
- The department has conducted extensive outreach to street vendors, including mailing informational pamphlets and collaborating with other agencies on licensing opportunities.
- While supporting the goal of Intro 408, SBS expresses concerns about creating a separate division for street vendors, citing potential resource diversion and privacy concerns for immigrant vendors.
Haris Khan
0:25:41
Good morning Chair Menon, and good morning to members of the City Council on the Committee of Consumer and Worker Protection.
0:25:48
My name is Harris Khan.
0:25:50
I serve as Chief of Staff at the Department of Small Business Services.
0:25:54
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
0:25:57
At SBS, we're committed to supporting entrepreneurship, including startups, micro enterprises, storefronts, and street vendors.
0:26:04
Our no cost services include business courses, legal consultations, help navigating concessionary opportunities, and more.
0:26:12
Our programs are accessible to New Yorkers through SBS's seven neighborhood based business solution centers, our hotline, 888 and our My City Business site at nyc.gov/business.
0:26:26
Our work is grounded in an education first approach that seeks to equip small businesses with clearer understanding of current regulations and connects them to resources that can help them grow and thrive.
0:26:38
Street vendors play a vital role in the city's economy as they are in many ways the smallest of small businesses.
0:26:44
Recognizing this, the administration has included leadership from the street vendor project in the Small Business Advisory Commission formed under executive order 15 in 2022.
0:26:54
This ensures that the voices of street vendors are included in conversations about the regulatory landscape facing small businesses.
0:27:02
SBS also partners with sister agencies to conduct outreach to vendors when new licensing opportunities arise.
0:27:08
Over the past three years, we've mailed over 22,000 pamphlets to street vendors, making them aware of available SPS services in a host of languages, including Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Wolof.
0:27:21
In coordination with DOHMH's supervisory license rollout, we also provided pamphlets.
0:27:30
Additionally, we translated DOHMH's technical assistance presentation into multiple languages and co hosted physical and virtual workshops to help vendors better understand the opportunity.
0:27:42
Our services are broadly accessible to all, whether a business operates from a storefront or from a cart.
0:27:48
And in FY24, over 24,000 New Yorkers benefited from our services.
0:27:53
We are proud of that reach and impact.
0:27:56
I'd now like to turn to Intro four zero eight, which would create a division of street vendor assistance within SBS and require the department to tailor programs specifically for street vendors.
0:28:07
While we support the goal of ensuring vendors take advantage of our services, SBS's existing programs are already inclusive and designed to meet the diverse needs of small businesses.
0:28:17
Creating a separate division could divert limited time and resources away from service delivery and into new layers of reporting and program design.
0:28:26
Moreover, the bill's reporting requirements, especially tracking vendor participation, can deter engagement from a community that includes many immigrants.
0:28:35
We welcome continued dialogue with the bill sponsors and the council to find effective ways to ensure street vendors are supported and look forward to answering any of your questions.
0:28:46
And I'll pass to our colleague from Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.