It is our obligation to use the money wisely and build the long-term sustainability of the company so that our employees will have jobs in the long run. In order to make that more possible, the loan’s shelf life should be extended to at least 120 days. And the number of employees that need to be on staff should be lowered to 70 percent of previous numbers. Coercing laid-off employees to come back only to have them laid-off the next month is not only cruel — it will also further clog the already overwhelmed unemployment system.

It should be possible to use funds for other purposes, too. Almost all businesses have a backlog of unpaid bills, as revenue dried up overnight. Everyone would benefit from businesses being able to pay their vendors, who could also possibly rehire some of their employees.

The term of the unforgiven portion of the loan should be extended to five or 10 years. This money can be used for cash flow, payroll and future expenses — all of which will continue to extend out into the larger economy — while we rebuild our businesses and return to at least some sense of normalcy.

Small businesses like ours, let alone those with fewer resources, should receive funds from the Payment Protection Program as quickly and efficiently as possible. To prevent graft by large corporations and banks, oversight needs to be strengthened. And the rules of the game must be changed to allow the hard-earned taxpayer dollars to restart the economy and support people’s lives, as it was intended.

The future of our business is unclear, and we are only just beginning to learn of the long-term social and economic impacts that the coronavirus will have on Detroit. If the terms of the Payment Protection Program change, it will be easier for us to make our way through this crisis and get back to the business of helping rebuild the city that we love.