Money for our neighborhoods depends on all of us completing Census 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought extraordinary times, revealing that an accurate Census count is more important than ever. Each person counted in the 2020 Census can bring in at least $10,000 for the next decade.

Our shared responses to uncertainty are defining our families as well as our local, county and state governments. We can do our part in this by completing the Census and we can do this by mail, phone, or online. Taking 10 minutes to complete the Census can prepare us for the next 10 years.

The Census helps to inform where billions of dollars of federal funding should go to transform our neighborhoods. From infants, teens, parents and grandparents, with every person counted, you will help determine the support you and your neighbors receive for health care, education, housing, transportation, and so much more, including future emergencies.

In too many of our cities and towns there is a section that is finished, with all the resources a family needs to thrive. But other sections — often long-established neighborhoods — remain unfinished. Federal funding from the Census count will help ensure all our neighborhoods are complete and that our families get services and resources that we need.

In Modesto, the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra foothills, Communities for a New California (CNC) has partnered with the state and a coalition of local groups to ensure the hardest-to-count Californians — those living in unfinished neighborhoods — have the information and support they need to be counted in 2020. We’re reaching those who have been overlooked. Some, including immigrants and Latino communities, have been invisible to the Census for decades.

All counties in our region depend on federal funding determined by the Census. For example, in the 2017-2018 school year, San Joaquin County received $42.4 million for financial assistance to schools and districts with high numbers of children from low-income families. If a community is undercounted this year, low-income areas would lose federal funding for school supplies and food programs crucial to our children’s academic success.

CNC has prioritized partnering with trusted organizations that fight every day so that the voices of their neighborhoods are heard. That is why we developed the Cuenta Conmigo coalition. Together we represent the array of families who live in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra foothills. We are: Evangelista Community Relations, Faith in the Valley, Hmong Innovating Politics, Jakara Movement, Civic Capacity Research Initiative at University of California, Merced, and many more.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2020 Census:

• The Census will count every person residing in the United States regardless of background or immigration status. This includes roommates, young children, newborns, and anyone who is staying long-term in your home.
• They will not ask you about your immigration status or if you are U.S. citizens.
  
  
• Any data you share with the Census or with Census enumerators is protected by federal law.
  
  
• Answers cannot be used for law enforcement purposes or to determine eligibility for government benefits or immigration enforcement. Census data will not be shared with your landlords.
  
  

• Learn more and complete the 2020 Census at www.cuentaconmigo2020.org, or by calling 844-330-2020.
  
  

It is more important than ever that every person in our region is counted. Our unfinished neighborhoods are depending on you to claim the funding and the representation that is rightfully ours and that we all count on. Our time is now. Don’t wait to complete the Census.

This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.