Legislators Create Economic Recovery Advisory Council, Resources Website for Central Monmouth County Residents By Vin Gopal, Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey

From the Legislature

Legislators Create Economic Recovery Advisory Council, Resources Website for Central Monmouth County Residents

By Vin Gopal, Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey

We are proud of the courage and intelligence Monmouth County residents have demonstrated in dealing with the COVID-19 health emergency. We know that given the information they need, you will act with patience and perseverance to keep themselves and their families safe.

This week, we built a new website, LD11Recovery.com as a tool to help residents of our 11th Legislative District, from Red Bank to Freehold to Neptune and everything in-between, to find information about local resources and services that can help them through this trying time. LD11Recovery.com offers a list of operating local restaurants, resources for small businesses and unemployed workers, assistance for household expenses, and a list of COVID-19 legislation. If you’re ever having issues with a state program or service, or if you have any questions about the COVID-19 pandemic or New Jersey’s response to it, this website has the information you need.

Beyond providing information, our primary role as legislators is listening to our residents and making sure their voices are heard at home and in Trenton. To bring those voices together, we formed a new 11th Legislative District COVID-19 Economic Recovery Advisory Council. This gathering of local representatives from diverse industries and communities will provide insight, expertise, and on-the-ground knowledge in advancing our efforts to re-open New Jersey’s economy, improve public health outcomes, and expand access to resources for municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and local small businesses.

Many local businesses are struggling to hold on until they can open their doors again. We built LD11Recovery.com to be a one-stop shop to help you find every state, federal, and local support program available in your area. Some residents are having trouble getting their unemployment benefits or recertifying for their benefit, so we’ve assembled guides, tips, and reference materials that can help. If you’re self-employed or an independent contractor, LD11Recovery.com will connect you directly to helpful programs and walk you through services and applications that often can be difficult to navigate.

It can be hard to afford basic groceries when you’re unemployed, let alone big expenses like utilities, health insurance premiums, or even rent. LD11Recovery.com offers a growing list of nonprofits and programs that can help families pay for household expenses.

If you’re a local restaurant owner and your kitchen is still open, we want to feature you on LD11Recovery.com and to encourage our neighbors to support your efforts as you continue to feed customers. We encourage owners of restaurants located in District 11 to submit their business’s information for the website’s “Open for Business” page, which includes a list of Monmouth County restaurants offering takeout, delivery, or other food delivery options such as DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEats. To add their restaurant to the list, owners can go to tinyurl.com/LD11Restaurants.

Residents also can get help with state programs and services through the site’s Constituent Services Request Form, and get answers to coronavirus-related questions through our Contact page. LD11Recovery.com also provides information about legislation we’ve passed or introduced to address the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a list of community leaders who will serve on the new District 11 Economic Recovery Advisory Council.

Beyond providing information, our primary role as legislators is listening to our residents and making sure their voices are heard at home and in Trenton. To bring those voices together, we formed a new 11th Legislative District COVID-19 Economic Recovery Advisory Council. This gathering of local representatives from diverse industries and communities will provide insight, expertise, and on-the-ground knowledge in advancing our efforts to re-open New Jersey’s economy, improve public health outcomes, and expand access to resources for municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and local small businesses.

The Economic Recovery Advisory Council will be co-chaired by Ken DeRoberts, CEO of Government Strategy Group; Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, Regional Director for the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Brookdale Community College; Marilou Halvorsen, President of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association; and Jeremy Grunin, President of the Grunin Foundation. These professionals, as Ken DeRoberts says, “will marshall as many resources as possible to help our business community.”

Council members include local small business owners, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations who are already helping families get through this crisis. We have to make sure they have a seat at the table as we work toward a statewide re-opening.

Together, all of us in the Legislative District 11 family will lend our courage and bring our skills and our patience to working our way to both health and economic recovery.

Stay informed. Stay home. Stay safe.

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Senator Vin Gopal, Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Joann Downey represent the 11th Legislative District towns of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour Village, Long Branch, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls and West Long Branch.