b'approximately 12,000Jenny Aguirre community members engaged by our services,community outreach, tenancy and diverse programsCOMMERCIAL RENT/BUSINESS SUPPORTEl apoyo gratuito de MEDA ha sido esencial. Griselda Garca{MEDAs free support has been essential.}COVID-19 RENT RELIEF SUPPORTJenny is co-owner of Chelys Beauty Salon, a popular family-run venture operating out of one of MEDAs 35 Small Sites ProgramLa promotora de MEDA nunca me dej sola.properties in the Mission. Small Sites properties keep in place{MEDAs promotora never let me feel alone.}longtime residents and commercial tenants vulnerable to eviction by speculators. During the pandemics forced shutdowns, MEDAsGriselda and her husband experienced challenges paying their workshops supported Jenny as she reinvented her business modelrent when they simultaneously lost their jobs due to the pandemic. bystartingasuccessfule-commercesiteforbeautyproducts.This was the story for far too many in the Latino and immigrant com-MEDAs business development and Fondo Adelante communitymunity of the Mission. Fortunately for the loving mother of three, loan arm teams also offered the diligent entrepreneur assistancea MEDA promotora lent her support filling out applications for City navigatingthewebofapplicationsforcity,stateandfederalof San Francisco and California state rent relief programs for ten-0%-interest loans and grants. Chelys Beauty Salon is just one ofants. With the promotora educating her about tenants rights, a hundredsofstoriesshowcasingsmallbusinessownerswhodetermined Griselda stayed up to date on all the guidelines during worked alongside MEDA so their ventures could best weather anthe processand, ultimately, avoided eviction. The pandemic unprecedented crisis. showcased more than ever how integral affordable and stable hous-ing is to building prosperity in low-income communities of color.What is at stake is human dignity. CSAR CHVEZ, CIVIL RIGHTS ICON 9'