Disaster Assistance

SMALL BUSINESSES

The State of Illinois has received its statewide Economic Injury Declaration which means small businesses in all 102 Illinois counties may be eligible for low-interest, economic injury disaster loans up to $2M per business.

Businesses can access additional information and apply for the loan online here. 

In addition, business advisors at Illinois Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are available to assist small businesses with the loan application process and are currently operating remotely. Businesses can locate their nearest Small Business Development Center here. 

For questions about DCEO programs, resources or incentives you can contact the First Stop Business Information Center, email ceo.support@illinois.gov or call the toll-free helpline at 1.800.252.2923.

If any businesses in the community are interested in sharing information about the impact of COVID-19, we encourage them to do so here. Filling out this form also adds them to the IL distribution list so they can be the first to know of any new resources available to them. It also allows IL to better understand the needs of companies throughout the state at this time.

HOMEOWNERS

There are hardship programs in place to help homeowners who have been directly or indirectly affected by the coronavirus and are struggling to make their mortgage payments.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, encourages homeowners adversely impacted by the coronavirus who are having difficulty paying their mortgages to reach out to their mortgage servicers as soon as possible.  As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises, “you can find the number for your mortgage servicer on your monthly mortgage statement or coupon book.”

FHFA has established a dedicated webpage with relevant updates and resources available here: www.fhfa.gov/coronavirus

Additionally, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have their own dedicated webpages for homeowners, with online tools for determining if your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac:

Fannie Mae: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Help

• Use Fannie Mae’s Loan Lookup Tool
• Or call 1-800-2FANNIE (1-800-232-6643)

Freddie Mac: Extending Help to Homeowners Impacted by COVID-19

• Use Freddie Mac’s Loan Lookup Tool
• Or call 1-800-FREDDIE (1-800-373-3343)