This past month the Resident Services Support Network met to learn the importance of the US Census. Once every decade our nation has the opportunity to participate in the decennial census survey which counts every resident and will go on to impact the distribution of congressional representation, supportive services, and federal funding for our states and communities. However, the idea of participation in the census can bring up misunderstanding & fear for a lot of communities.

In this workshop participants received a general overview of why it is so important to participate in the census count as well as the opportunity to gain access to other related resources for their residents. The group learned from multiple presenters throughout the morning. Starting with Joanna Nguyen from the US Census Bureau who explained: “Coming April 1, 2020, the Census is important because we only do this every 10 years. This one survey is a population count of the entire United States, and the government takes that count and divides more than $675 billion each year (for the next 10 years) among the 50 states, based on their population count.” She explained that the 2020 census can be filled out in multiple ways such as in person, on the internet, by phone call, and via a paper form in the mail. When filling out by phone or on the internet there are over 12 language options to choose from. She closed out her presentation by presenting the group with a sample census questionnaire which clarified that there is not a citizenship status on the survey which is so important for people to know.

Then the group heard from Count Me 2020 which is a coalition of over 150 community based organizations in San Diego and Imperial counties, that have partnered to ensure a complete and accurate 2020 Census count. Our representative from United Way San Diego Michelle Silverthorn explained ways to get involved in the coalition and reiterated the importance of an accurate count for funding in San Diego. Our last presenter was Iriz Lomeli a recruitment specialist from the Census Bureau who explained hiring opportunities and the recruitment process in the San Diego area.

Thank you to all of our guest speakers who helped inform our resident service professionals on the importance of the census and equipping them to answer questions for their communities.