Dear Friends,
I want to begin by talking about National Census Day, which is today. The Census is a critical tool that shapes our community. Not only does it determine the population count and demographic breakdown for our region, but it also determines district lines and representation in government. Most importantly, an accurate Census count means that our community will receive much needed support from federal funding, which is more important now than ever before. For every person missed being counted in the Census, Kentucky loses $22,000 and Indiana loses $27,000. That means if just five people are missed, our community will lose over $100,000 in federal funding.
So, what keeps people from doing their civic duty and being counted in the Census? Misinformation. So let’s clear a few things up. First, your information is never shared with any agency outside of the Census; by law, that information is required to be kept separate and not shared. Second, there has been much information on the addition of a citizenship question, but that’s incorrect – there is no citizenship question on the Census. And finally, if you are not a U.S. citizen but you do live in our community, please complete the Census, because you need to be counted as a part of the population as well.
We implore you to not only complete the Census yourselves, but encourage your employees to complete the Census as well. For the first time ever, you can complete the Census online, making it easier than ever to be counted. Simply enter the code that was delivered to you in the mail – it’s just that easy.
We’ve asked our GLI Employees why they took the Census and why it’s important to them. Follow along on our social channels with what they had to say throughout the month with #ShowUsYourHousehold.
In other news, Mayor Greg Fischer announced the creation of the Small Business Community Loan Program. This loan program is a $900,000 fund that will provide zero-interest loans to small businesses impacted by COVID-19, with no payments for 12 months. The loan program was developed in partnership with Louisville Metro Government, GLI, LHOME, Render Capital, and Lenderfit. Loans will be administered by local Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) LHOME, and managed through Lenderfit, in an effort to keep small businesses viable through the pandemic and to serve as a low-cost loan to bridge into the U.S. Small Business Administration loans or other relief programs.
GLI Challenge: In this time of need, we would like to show solidarity in support for our business community. As such, we are issuing a challenge to the business community for each business to give $1,000. If we can all give a little, we can make an enormous impact. Will your company help? If you would like to donate, please click here. |