City Officials Host Roundtable Discussion on City Resources Available For Jobseekers And Small Business Owners In Immigrant Communities

For Immediate Release: October 2, 2025

NEW YORK — On Tuesday, September 30, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), and the New York City Office of Nightlife (ONL) hosted an ethnic and community media roundtable discussing city resources available to all small business owners, entrepreneurs, and jobseekers. The event brought together city leaders to highlight our strong immigrant community as the foundation of our city’s workforce and initiatives.

 Following SBS’s recent milestone announcement of more than 250,000 New Yorkers served through the Workforce1 system since the start of the Adams administration, SBS expressed their thorough work in supporting immigrant community members seeking guidance in the workforce space. “SBS is dedicated to unlocking the economic and entrepreneurial potential of every New Yorker, especially in our vibrant immigrant communities,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “Whether it’s facilitating loans and financing for entrepreneurs through the online NYC Funds Finder marketplace, saving businesses over $42.5 million through our NYC BEST program, or connecting 81,000 New Yorkers to good-paying jobs through our Workforce1 Career Centers, SBS has resources for every stage of the journey. I’m proud to work alongside Commissioner Castro to ensure that everyone, no matter their country of origin, feels safe, welcome, and supported.”

 Executive Director Jeff Garcia of the Office of Nightlife shared resources regarding grants, such as the FY26 Nightlife Grant, which is available to nonprofit organizations that support the strengthening of the nightlife business. He further highlighted the work of his office to provide business owners in need of guidance and/or assistance through programs such as their Mediating Establishment and Neighborhood Disputes (MEND) NYC service and ONL’s Multi-Agency Support for Hospitality (MASH) which delivers one on one personalized counselling to educate businesses on safety and compliance.

 Commissioner Manuel Castro, of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, emphasized that immigrants across New York should feel welcomed to the resources available to them at SBS and any other city initiative geared towards supporting their business. Commissioner Castro stated “This administration has been one of the most pro-immigrant worker in our city’s history. Through the services provided by SBS and ONL, immigrants have access to resources ranging from direct business planning consultations to Workforce1 Career Centers that support jobseekers of all skill levels. It is clear our economic support system has immigrants at its core. The successes of these initiatives and their economic impact serve as a reminder of the importance of our immigrant community members across the city.”