Hubs to connect small businesses and entrepreneurs with resources are set to open next year in all six of Charlotte’s designated Corridors of Opportunity. The city council voted Monday night to allot money to several nonprofits to operate what will be called Business Opportunity Hubs.
City Council member Ed Driggs said investments in workforce development are more productive than providing housing subsidies.
“I hope that what this will accomplish is that people who have an aspiration, whether it's a business or a job, have a place to go where they can go to overcome obstacles to their success,” said Driggs.
The city is spending $4.5 million on the hubs — most of it from American Rescue Plan Act funds. The goal is to open them by next summer.
The hubs will serve all businesses and nonprofits seeking help in the low-income corridors, but some have specific focuses that include:
Albemarle/Central Avenue — A retail showcase for emerging retailers and a large event space for job fairs.
Sugar Creek — Training for women trying to break into the trades with child care provided during classes.
Beatties Ford/Rozelles Ferry — Business plan consulting, assessment, financial services and access to loans.
Freedom/Wilkinson — Incubator program and affordable space for entrepreneurs, and training provided by Goodwill Industries, Aspire Community Capital and CPCC.
North End — Start-up assistance and expanded business consulting, and employment development services for contractors with a focus on minority and Hispanic-owned construction firms.
West Boulevard — Expanded services for small businesses and nonprofits that include training, mentoring and help with securing funding.
The city council Monday also approved nearly $6 million in federal pandemic relief funds for the city’s anti-displacement strategy. The money will go toward home down payment assistance programs, establishing an accessory dwelling unit program to help homeowners put small rental units on their properties, and housing rehab services to small landlords in rapidly changing areas.
