Public Advocate Launches "Bounce Back NYC"

Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy, thousands of small businesses in New York City -- in hard-hit areas like Coney Island, the Rockaways and the South Street Seaport -- are still hurting.

As the next phase of an ongoing campaign to help neighborhood businesses recover from Sandy, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has announced the "Bounce Back NYC" initiative. 

Bounce Back is a partnership between the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Alliance, and others, that offers owners in the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods help in accessing resources, promoting their businesses, and increasing receipts. 

Three things you can do right now to help in the business recovery effort:

• Use the interactive map at BounceBackNYC.com to book your holiday party at a recovering business;
  
• Do your Christmas shopping at a participating small business in your borough;
• Volunteer to go door-to-door offering assistance to small businesses in hard-hit areas.

If you own a small business impacted by Hurricane Sandy, you can call the Public Advocate's Small Business hotline at 212-669-4691 for help.