Madison Reporter

Myra McNair, the owner of a company that received a loan from the City of Madison under a new program, was congratulated by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.

"What a pleasure it was to ‘hand over the keys’ to Myra McNair, the owner of Anesis, a mental health and substance abuse clinic serving several hundred active clients," the mayor tweeted. "The city provided a $250,000 Commercial Ownership Assistance Program loan to make this a reality.”

The program was created in 2020 to "increase opportunities for commercial property ownership among historically disenfranchised communities," the city said.

It provides forgivable loans to help business owners buy instead of rent their property.

"While people of color represent approximately 27% of Madison’s population, they represent only 3-9% of business owners," the city said. "The city is directing more support toward building wealth and economic empowerment in communities that are not sharing in the city’s prosperity as part of its ongoing work to reduce these disparities."

The program focuses on communities that have faced barriers to purchasing commercial property including "communities of color, immigrant communities, women, disabled residents and veterans, and will also prioritize support for businesses in under-invested geographic areas," the city said.

McNair founded Anesis in 2016, according to the company website.

It is a "state certified DHS clinic that provides mental health, substance abuse and case management services," the website said. "Anesis was established to bring more cultural competent mental health care in the Dane County area."

The company staff is "racially, culturally and linguistically diverse," the website said.

"Our diverse staff bring rich life and clinical experience, insight and community knowledge that deeply supports structural inclusivity within all aspects of our reach," it said.