Theoretical Model: West Side United (WSU), a collaborative of six hospitals and over 50 organizations founded in 2017, is a place-based, community-driven initiative targeting the life expectancy gap on Chicago’s West Side. WSU is guided by the overarching theory that if collaborative action is taken to achieve equity across four domains – Health/Healthcare, Economic Vitality, Physical Environment, and Education – residents will see improvement in their wellbeing and life expectancy.

Program & Evaluation: WSU established the Small Business Grants Accelerator Pool (SBG) to provide grant funding and technical assistance to small business owners on Chicago’s West Side. WSU and evaluators from Sinai Urban Health Institute developed a multi-year, mixed-methods evaluation to assess the impact of the SBG on supporting a growing small business community. Interviews conducted in 2020 revealed high levels of anxiety and traumatic stress among business owners. In response, WSU program management incorporated unique wraparound supports that accounted for the holistic needs of grantees. Adaptations included grantee needs assessments, trauma-informed approaches, training, and emergency grants.

Conclusions: Our evaluation highlighted the direct link between economic instability and poor mental health, and demonstrated how COVID-19 has worsened historic economic inequities in Black and Latinx communities. WSU’s original SGB design, coupled with adaptations implemented in the wake of COVID-19, is an effective approach to addressing historic economic violence against Black and Latinx communities and increasing economic opportunity.

Recommendations for Practice: Historic economic disinvestment within Black and Latinx communities is a primary driver of health inequities. Creating opportunities for financial stability is imperative to improving health equity. In the post-pandemic environment, business development programs targeting entrepreneurs in communities most impacted by COVID-19 should incorporate trauma-informed approaches, even those not primarily focused on health or life expectancy.