After English, Spanish is the most prevalent language spoken in Chicago. According to the Census Bureau ACS one -year estimate, 23.6% of the population of our city are native Spanish speakers. That is about 600,000 people as of 2019, and that number is growing. So who do they turn to when they are in need of guidance and translation services for the many programs that are available to them? The Puerto Rican Cultural Center can proudly say they can come to us. In the 4th quarter of 2021, the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) rolled out the COVID-19 Small Business Support Program (CSBS). This program provided funding to selected organizations to deliver highly specialized business services to business owners aiding in their recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Puerto Rican Cultural Center provides entrepreneurs and business owners in the Humboldt Park area with targeted expert training and dedicated resources to help address common challenges brought on by the pandemic. We continue to provide assistance with translation services, accessing capital, business planning, and technical assistance. We serve our Spanish speaking community by guiding and sharing information on Covid-19 relief resources provided by federal, state, and local governmental entities. This once in a lifetime pandemic has brought financial hardship, declines in revenues, and increased costs to many small business owners. Unfortunately our Latino/a business owners have suffered plenty. We are optimistic and hope that 2022 will bring prosperity to our Humboldt Park commercial corridors. The Puerto Rican Cultural Center will continue to provide the much needed aid to all of our community members, and build a brighter future through our local small business owners.
