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May 1, 2020
Members and Supporters,

This week started with Governor Abbott announcing a partial reopening plan. We know many of our members have questions and we’ve included resources in this update as well as updated our COVID-19 Resource Page . We’ll continue to provide you with information and resources on reopening your business.

Chamber Leadership participated in the Greater Houston Partnership’s efforts to create a “Reopen Houston Safely” plan through the Small Business Working Group. The Partnership created multiple working groups with industry experts and key stakeholders. The Partnership is working on behalf of the business community and other stakeholders to develop guidelines and resources for businesses and provide policy recommendations to local leaders focused on the steps needed to resume work safely, sustainably and successfully.  

Speaking of events….have you registered for our upcoming online events? Check out the Chamber Calendar  here and register. All online events require registration in order to receive the Zoom link.

It’s a challenging time but We Are All In This TOGETHER . If you need anything please call the Chamber Office at 832-510-3002 or email info@houstonlgbtchamber.com . We are here for you.
Tammi Wallace
Co-Founder & Board Chair
Reopening Texas - Resources
Various states including Texas are adopting a phased reopening process. The White House issued Guidelines for Opening America Again and Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the first phase of State of Texas’ Phase One to Open Texas .

Read the report, Texans Helping Texans: The Governor's Report to Open Texas . Pages 20-22 of the Plan provides checklists for individuals and employers.
State of Texas – Phase One Reopening

  • Beginning May 1st, Texas will begin Phase I of its reopening process.
  • Most businesses, including retail stores, movie theaters and malls will be permitted to reopen to customers at a maximum of 25% of normal listed occupancy, and with social distancing recommendations remaining in place.
  • Statewide testing continues to expand and a statewide contact tracing program and phone app are expected to be in place by the end of May.
  • Should COVID-19 cases continue to hold steady or decline, then Governor Abbott will announce Phase II to begin on May 18, with higher occupancy allowances and the potential for additional businesses to resume operations. A spike in cases could delay the second phase.
The Greater Houston Partnership has created resources to guide businesses during this reopening. Read the Greater Houston Partnership’s recap of the Phase One Reopening.

The Partnership has greatly expanded the Houston Work Safe resource center to provide support to the Houston business community for the phased reopening of Houston's economy and developed 15 Work Safe 2.0 principles to provide guidance to companies as they plan their reopening and/or expand their operations while also protecting the health of their employees, customers and the public at large.

These resources have been added to our COVID-19 Resource Page as well.
Did You Complete the Member Survey – Reopening Texas?
Did you complete the member economic impact survey sent this week? With the phase one reopening announced by Governor Abbott, we want to get member feedback on how prepared your business is to reopen, what you need and other relevant information. We will share this aggregate feedback with local leaders as we look ahead at additional reopening phases.

We are conducting a survey in collaboration with our partner LGBTQ Chambers in Austin, North Texas and San Antonio as part of the Texas LGBT Chambers of Commerce . Overall, the goal of the survey is to better understand how our members are integrating new reopening guidelines, implications of reopening and to get a sense of what support is needed by our members. Check your inbox or the Facebook Group for the survey link.
IMPORTANT: Checklist & Training for
Reopening Businesses
Upcoming Events & Webinars
Check the events calendar for our upcoming webinars and events including Ask The Expert (Tuesdays), Webinars (Wednesdays) and Chamber Connect (Thursdays).

All events are held via Zoom, and attendees must pre-register to receive the Zoom information via email.  

Check the Events Calendar frequently for more webinars. Do you have an idea for a webinar you would like to see? Email info@houstonlgbtchamber.com to share your thoughts. Would you like to present a webinar? Complete the Program Proposal Form .

We know that during this time our members need us now more than ever. We will continue programming through video-conference to provide opportunities for new resources, skills and leads.
National Small Business Town Hall - TODAY
Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Inc.com today, Friday, May 1 at 11 a.m. CT for the sixth installment of their National Small Business Town Hall.

This week, they will continue the discussion to help business owners navigate the aid available to them. The co-hosts U.S. Chamber Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley and Inc. Editor-at-Large Kimberly Weisul will break down the latest action from Washington, lay out the processes you should follow to make the most of the resources at hand, and give you the insight you need to plan your next move.

Want to hear what they discussed last week? Click here to view the recording .  
Loan Program Checklists for Small Business
Check out the guides and checklists below to help navigate the various loan programs available through the stimulus bill for small businesses. See below for a guide on each and how it can help you:

Our corporate partner, SignatureCare ER , is open 24 hours a day, and performing COVID19 screening with the nasal swabs and antibody tests with a 2-3 day turnaround time for results . SignatureCare ER has a safe and clean procedure, staff use full PPE, all patients are provided a mask, and their ER’s don’t have wait times or other people in the lobby.
 
SignatureCare’s COVID19 testing abilities and procedures generate peace of mind and decrease the anxiety associated with going to big hospitals at this time.
 
The SignatureCare ER Team is here to help you during this crisis. Visit https://ercare24.com/ for locations and more information.
Will you help our Healthcare Workers & First Responders? Support their heroic work through ChamberCares!
Thank you to Chamber Member, EnFocus Group , for generously donated food to Legacy Community Health through Michael’s Cookie Jar . We hear the cookies were a hit! Of course, who doesn’t love Michael’s Cookie Jar?
COVID Resource Page
Check out the recent updates about Reopening Texas added to the Chamber's COVID-19 Resource page here . We continue to update the COVID Resource Page with information to help our members navigate this challenging time.
Member Facebook Group
The Facebook Member Group continues to grow! If you are a member, please request access via Facebook Member Group . We are sharing out COVID-19 updates as well as lighter topics such as food pics, etc. Come join in and CONNECT with fellow Chamber Members, tell us more about you and your business. We love hearing from our members.  
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Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce | 832-510-3002 | info@houstonlgbtchamber.com | houstonlgbtchamber.com