Census 2010
2010 Census data will determine political redistricting and the allocation of $4 billion in federal money for schools, roads, health programs, and more. We must work together to ensure that everyone in New Haven is counted to ensure that we receive the resources we need and that everyone in New Haven has an equal voice in the political process.
What is the Census?
The Constitution requires a national Census once every ten years. The Census is a count of everyone residing in the United States, including visitors and non-citizens. Everyone in the United States must fill out the Census form. The form is only ten questions long – one of the shortest questionnaires in history – and covers very basic information about how many people live in each household, gender, age, race, and relationship to one another.
Census 2010 site, Census Bureau
When?
You will receive a Census form in the mail in March. Please fill out and mail back your form. If you do not mail your form in, a Census worker will come to your door several times between April and July to try to gather information from you. You should fill out your form where you live and sleep most of the year.
Who?
Everyone living in the United States must be counted, citizens and non-citizens, children, adults, people who live in family groups and people who live in any other kind of group or alone. There are no exceptions to this rule; being counted in the Census is required by law.
Why is it important?
Census data are used to determine who receives over $400 billion of federal funding per year. This totals to over $4 billion over the next ten years that will be based on the upcoming Census. For New Haven, this is equivalent to over $9,000 per person per year, or almost $100,000 per person over the next ten years. For each uncounted person in New Haven, the city will lose almost $100,000 over the next ten years. This results in inadequate funding for services provided by the City, less funding available for community-based organizations, less funding available for economic development, education, and public safety, and higher taxes to partially compensate for the lack of adequate federal money.
Census data guide local decision-makers in important community planning efforts, including where to build new roads, hospitals, and schools.
Census data affect your voice in Congress by determining how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ten years ago, in the most recent Census, Connecticut lost a seat by a very small margin. If everyone in Connecticut had been counted, especially in New Haven, Hartford, and Bridgeport, we would probably not have lost that seat. Census 2010 is our chance to get it back.
Census data are used to determine redistricting of local political boundaries, including the borders of New Haven and New Haven’s Aldermanic wards.
Will the information the Census Bureau collects remain confidential?
Yes. Every Census Bureau worker takes an oath for life to protect the confidentiality of Census responses. Violation would result in a jail term of up to five years and/or fine of up to $250,000. Title 13 law requires that the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s answer with anyone, including welfare and immigration agencies.
Complete Count Committee
The New Haven Complete Count Committee (CCC) is a team of New Haven leaders from community organizations, schools, businesses, and more who are invited by the Mayor to work together to ensure that everyone is counted, especially those in hard-to-count communities. The Complete Count Committee is a valuable vehicle for collaboration to maximize New Haven’s Census count.
New Haven Independent Article about the Kick-Off Meeting
Members of the Complete Count Committee:
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., Frank Alvarado (Spanish American Merchant Association), Paul Bass (Editor, New Haven Independent), Charles Blango (Alderman, Ward 20), Migdalia Castro (Alderwoman, Ward 16), Carol Cheney (Cheney and Co.), Dolores Colón (Alderwoman, Ward 6), Allison Cunningham (Executive Director, Columbus House), Frank D’Amore (Livable City Initiative Director), Karen Dubois-Walton (Housing Authority Director), Michelle Duprey (Disability Services Director), Raúl Erazo (Ecuadorean Consul General), Karyn Gilvarg (City Plan Director), Reverend Bonita Grubbs (Christian Community Action Executive Director), Andrea Jackman-Brooks (Alderwoman, Ward 4), Patricia Kaplan (Executive Director, New Haven Legal Assistance), Laoise King (Deputy Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office), Alex Knopp (General Secretary, Dwight Hall at Yale), Maria Lamberto (League of Women Voters), Father James Manship (Pastor, St. Rose of Lima), Jessica Mayorga (Press Secretary, Mayor’s Office), Sandra McKinnie (Community Action Agency), Mary O’Leary (Topics Editor, New Haven Register), Al Paolillo, Jr. (Alderman, Ward 17), Jorge Perez (Alderman, Ward 5), Jacqui Phineas (Life Haven Executive Director), Althea Richardson (Empower New Haven Executive Director), Joseph Rodriguez (Alderman, Ward 15), Norma Rodriguez (La Voz Hispana), Sergio Rodriguez (Alderman, Ward 26), Yusuf Shah (Alderman, Ward 23), Ina Silverman (Alderwoman, Ward 25), Angela Tadaro (Southern Connecticut State University Director of Residential Life), Patricia Wallace (Elderly Services Director), Stanley Welch (Office of Congresswoman DeLauro)
Progress Meter:
On July 27th, the New Haven Complete Count Committee had its kick-off meeting, where the Mayor, the Census Bureau Regional Director, and the Director of City Plan spoke. Almost 50 people attended (listed above). On October 27th, the CCC will have its second meeting, where it will form subcommittees and create a plan of action to reach each of New Haven’s hard-to-count communities.
How to get involved
Fill out your Census form in March.
Questionnaire Assistance Centers will be provided for your assistance. In March, there will be several centrally located centers where New Haven residents can ask questions about how to fill out their form. At these locations, there will also be Census forms in 6 languages and guides to filling out the Census form in 59 languages.
Tell your friends and neighbors to fill out their Census forms, and tell them how to find assistance if they would like help.
If they have questions you can’t answer, direct them to a Questionnaire Assistance Center (locations will be released in March).
Contact the Director of Census Planning
The Director of Census Planning can provide you with materials to distribute to your community. Her contact information is as follows:
April Lawson
Director of Census Planning, City of New Haven
165 Church Street, 5th Floor
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 946-6383
Census2010@newhavenct.net
