South City eyes new aid center

City Manager Mike Futrell said South San Francisco plans to spend as much as $2 million on the program and county officials have offered an initial investment worth $200,000.

Futrell said the money will go toward establishment of a new center located in downtown South San Francisco where small business owners and eventually residents can go to get financial assistance.

Officials have long acknowledged that a gap is growing between affluent and poor communities in South San Francisco, but Futrell said the economic damage brought by the pandemic made the division more clear.

“The pandemic has starkly showed the income inequality and vulnerability of many of our residents and small businesses,” he said.

City officials crafted the vision for the program to focus solely on South San Francisco businesses, but Futrell said the idea grew when county officials caught wind of the plans.

Through collaboration, Futrell said the proposal expanded to establishing a support center for businesses across north San Mateo County at the site in South San Francisco.

The address of the future center cannot be shared publicly because plans are still under development, but Futrell said he anticipates the location will be up and running in the next two months.

Futrell said city officials are planning to collaborate with the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to help small businesses get the financial aid and other forms of support needed to sustain a challenging period.

A key focus will be helping local merchants get to the various forms of government funding available through federal, state and local programs which can be challenging for novices to access, said Futrell.

“The help is out there, the money is there, but you need a business degree to understand some of this,” he said.

Once the business support program is running, Futrell said officials are planning to expand the scope to aiding residents seeking professional development, job training or financial assistance.

He said officials are planning to contribute $1 million of city money toward both the business and residential support programs.

“We see this as a multiyear effort,” said Futrell. “We will put a lot of resources behind it.”

Case management will be a key focus of the residential support program, said Futrell, who hoped ultimately locals would gain the skills to become financially independent.

“We want people to understand their financial situation and put themselves and their families, we hope, on a upward financial trajectory toward sustainability,” he said.

There will be hurdles to overcome in that process, acknowledged Futrell, who identified mistrust of government as a key issue which must be addressed — particularly as the residential program is formed.

To address those concerns, Futrell said community navigator positions created out of conversations in the city’s social and racial equity commission will be critical in building a bond between residents and local government.

“They can reach those that don’t trust the government or for whatever reason just require that support,” Futrell said.

But with the injection of resources from both the city and county, Futrell expressed confidence that the center will eventually be a critical resource in improving the quality of life for local residents and business owners.

“We see both of these things working together with the overall goal of improving the financial position of residents and business owners in South San Francisco,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com