Council Member Sandra Ung on Tuesday evening hosted a Small Business Recovery Meeting for small business owners who were impacted by the five-alarm fire that tore through a downtown Flushing building last week.

“The road to recovery is going to be long and no one event is going to solve all of the issues facing these small business owners, but having all of these nonprofits and city agencies in one spot will hopefully jumpstart the process,” said Council Member Ung. “I want to thank everyone who took part in the event, and my office will continue to be involved in the relief efforts to ensure that these business owners get the assistance they need.”   

Attendees had access to bilingual, pro-bono attorneys who provided legal counsel on a variety of issues, including experts on commercial leases. 

They also learned how to apply for low-interest loans from the Flushing Downtown Fire Emergency Loan Program, which is a $1 million loan fund created by Asian Americans for Equality, as well as the Longevity Fund, which is administered by the nonprofit organization Welcome to Chinatown. Both groups were represented at the event.

Representatives from the Department of Small Business Services, Department of Buildings, Office of Emergency Management, FDNY, State Department of Financial Services, Small Business Development Center, Flushing BID, and the Asian American Federation were also on hand at Glow Community Center on 41^st Avenue.

Immediately after the fire, Council Member Ung sent a letter to Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin Kim asking him to work with city agencies to forgive any fines or penalties that business owners affected by the fire received in the last 60 days.

“This first step by the city would quickly provide some much-needed relief as these business owners attempt to recover and rebuild,” said Council Member Ung