New Local Report On COVID Impacts Released

On behalf of the Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) and Small Business Development Center of California (SBDC), I am reaching out today to pass along a news release – Economic Development Collaborative Releases Profile of COVID-19, Community, Business, Nonprofit and Worker Impacts in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. While I referenced the release below with further details, I wanted to quickly highlight a few key findings that we believe the Citizens Journal readership would appreciate knowing as they look forward into 2022 and beyond. 

1) The profile provides documentation of the level of vulnerability due to the pandemic of each of the 45 zip code areas in Ventura and Santa Barbara. The report not only supports the careful and informed targeting of business services, but it will also be useful for a broad array of social and economic programs regionally.

2) A sample of key findings:

• 6% of all residents in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties are living in highly vulnerable communities with low employment, high rates of poverty, limited access to social and economic amenities, as well as government and community services.
• 76% of all nonprofits in Ventura County and 64% in Santa Barbara are themselves very small employers and especially vulnerable to the disruptions of the pandemic. This compound concerns for businesses and residents in high-risk communities, given that these communities are extremely dependent on these nonprofits for service and support.

You can view the full release below:

Economic Development Collaborative Releases Profile of COVID-19, Community, Business, Nonprofit and Worker Impacts in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties

Contact:  Lexie Smith [email protected]

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