SCARBOROUGH — The Scarborough Economic Development Corporation encourages local businesses to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program if they have not done so already.

In March, 2.4 percent of Scarborough’s workforce, 270 people, filed for unemployment, said Karen Martin, president and executive director of SEDCO.

Scarborough’s unemployment rates for April are not in yet, Martin said, but based on statewide impacts, an estimated 1,800 jobs were lost over the month.

She added that only 32 percent of Scarborough’s labor force works in town, with many other people travelling to Portland for work, so if Portland isn’t doing well, residents of Scarborough may be affected.

Because of this, SEDCO has been pushing employers to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program, an incentive that was created to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll, Martin said. The U.S. Small Business Administration said it will forgive loans provided requirements are met.

“That’s what makes that program different is about 75 percent can be turned into a grant, and you don’t have to pay that back,” Martin said. “And that’s why we want to push as many people into that as possible before we push them into the other resources out there.”

The path to opening up businesses is the key to success, she told the Town Council on April 28.

People working from home has also impacted the economy, Martin said, as most office workers spend about $200 a week in normal conditions. There are about 4,000 office workers in Scarborough.

“So on a weekly basis, if 50 percent of office workers are home, there’s (over) $300,000 not being spent in the local economy,” she said.

SEDCO, along with the Scarborough Chamber of Commerce and Scarborough Buy Local, have created a Facebook page, called Business Update Scarborough, to keep residents informed about 127 different businesses.

Even though people are staying at home more and the fear of spreading germs is high, all but five local restaurants in Scarborough are still open, operating under state guidelines during the pandemic, said Martin.

“Most of our restaurants are open and doing business, certainly not at the level they were doing business before, but they are open,” she said.

Business owners can also speak to Martin and other BUS members on Zoom from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, she said. The team is there to answer questions and keep people updated on resources.

Martin said that the group can also do one-on-one meetings.

“I’ve talked to a lot of independent contractors, and a lot of folks who don’t know where to start,” she said. “We can’t have a magic line into the unemployment office, but we can listen to what they’re having trouble with and certainly tell them they’re not alone and we can give them some one-on-one counseling on these options.”

Anyone with questions can visit sedcomaine.com/business-update-scarborough.

For people who have lost jobs, places are still hiring even during the pandemic, Martin said.

“Abbott is looking for about 100 folks right now,” she told the councilors. “Hannaford is looking for folks all over in their stores. So there’s a lot of people looking for employment, for their workers.”

Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina, with a background in real estate, updated the council and public on how the industry is doing currently.

“The number of listings coming on are less but that’s because — think about this — you don’t absolutely have to sell your house right now,” she said. “Do you want someone from the general public trooping through your house? And people don’t. I’ve a few got people waiting until they see something improve or the fear drops somewhat.”

Tom Hall, town manager, reminded the public that Project GRACE and Scarborough Helps have two great local efforts for the community.

People can visit scarboroughhelps.weebly.com and choose to either receive or give help.

In order for things to improve, people need to be able to go out and feel safe once restrictions are lifted, said Martin. Small businesses will have to adapt in order to survive in the next year.

“The path to reopening is just so critical to us really helping our small businesses,” she said. “That’s key right now. The time for planning is now. We’ve been working with folks for ideas for creating help around retrofitting businesses.”

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