Making the city count

Resident participation in 2010 Census will determine funding for services, roads

Census Day is April 1, 2010. And that’s no April Fool.
For Jersey City and Hudson County residents, that means providing accurate information on a 10-question form due next April 1 about details such as household size, date of birth, and income. More detailed socioeconomic information will be obtained through the annual U.S. Census American Community Survey.
The Census Bureau plans to mail or deliver more than 130 million questionnaires to households in the United States starting next March.
Efforts are already underway by the U.S. Census New York Regional Office, which covers nine counties in New York and 10 counties in Northern New Jersey, to make sure residents are aware of the census and its importance.
Census data determines the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. Census data also determines the allocation of up $400 billion in federal funds for the next 10 years in the region for community services such as school lunch programs and senior citizen centers, as well as new construction such as highways and hospitals.
Veronica Lavarro, media specialist for the New York Regional Office and a Jersey City resident, said those efforts include developing relationships with “community partners” in the towns within the region. Those partners consist of community groups, businesses, and other civic organizations.
One of the partnerships is with the Jersey City Museum, which debuted its new exhibit on July 30 titled “I Love Jersey City: Everybody Counts” at the museum’s 2009 Annual Meeting. The exhibit consists of 4 x 6 inch images of people living in Jersey City that celebrate the act of counting every human being in the country. The exhibit is on view in the museum’s upper atrium gallery through Dec. 19.

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“If you’re not counted, it’s almost as if you don’t count.” – Lorenzo Richardson
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At a July 30 meeting, Geraldine Clark, partnership coordinator for the New York Regional Office, spoke of the collaboration between the census and the museum.
“The 2010 Census is thrilled to partner with the Jersey City Museum to ensure the most accurate count of the people of Jersey City. We want residents to know that the 2010 Census is important, it’s easy, and it’s safe.”
Just as prominent a partner is City Hall, whose municipal website (www.cityofjerseycity.com) contains a page devoted to informing the public on the census. Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a recent interview with the Star-Ledger that this count is important to him because it will determine if Jersey City will have the state’s largest municipal population. Healy also said the city will launch a televised campaign soon about the census.

Community working for 2010

Jersey City Council aide Lorenzo Richardson is an employee of the Hudson County Urban League and serves in the Jersey City branch of the NAACP. Richardson and others in the community take on an important role of informing the public about the 2010 Census, as they will be part of what are known as “Complete Count Committees.” A Complete Count Committee is a volunteer committee established by local government to increase awareness about the census and motivate residents in the community to respond.
But there will also be legwork.
If census questionnaires are not answered after the initial mailing in March, then volunteers will go door-to-door to do in-person counts.
Richardson said he wanted to be involved in the 2010 Census and has been interested in the census since he was in high school in the 1980s. He said there is a vital reason for residents to be counted.
“If you’re not counted, it’s almost as if you don’t count,” Richardson said. “If [the government] don’t know if you exist here, they don’t know money is needed unless you provide information to them.”
He also said many social services in Jersey City and throughout Hudson County are “way overtapped,” such as homeless prevention, drug treatment and rental assistance, and dollars are needed to keep those social services running.
For more information, visit the Jersey City website or www.census.gov.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.

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