Prepare now for 2010 census
Over 300 billion dollars of federal funds are awarded to states each year based on the census. For example, the census impacts the amount of funds awarded for such activities as new roads, hospitals, schools, child-care and senior citizen centers, and homeless assistance programs.
The U.S. Census Bureau, a division of the United States Department of Commerce, administers the SBE operation. The Census Bureau also partners with organizations such as Minnesota and National Coalitions for the Homeless to ensure a more accurate and comprehensive census. Partners provide lists of shelters and nonsheltered outdoor locations, and encourage citizens and residents to participate in the census.
The Census 2010 SBE operation will occur March 29, 2010 through March 31, 2010. The Census Bureau plans to conduct the 2010 SBE operation over a three-day period.
On the first night, enumerators will count persons residing in shelters and temporary arrangements.
On the second day, enumerators will interview persons at regularly scheduled mobile food vans and persons at soup kitchens. If individuals at the mobile food vans and soup kitchens report a “usual residence,” they are not included in the SBE operation and are instead included in the general population count.
On the third night, enumerators will count persons at pre-identified targeted nonsheltered outdoor locations.
There exist inherent problems when enumerating persons experiencing homelessness, including:
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Some homeless people’s survival depends on their ability to hide, making it difficult to enumerate the population.
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Because the population is characteristically on the move in attempt to find adequate shelter, attempts at “snapshot” counts will never be complete.
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Some homeless people do not want to admit that they are homeless.
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Homeless people are not uniquely identifiable as such by any physical characteristic, and thus cannot be identified easily.
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Some homeless individuals are afraid to speak to enumerators, as enumerators are at times mistaken for police or other authority figures with which the population has had conflict.
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Use of homeless persons as enumerators, an effective strategy for identifying locations where homeless people congregate, is impeded by Census Bureau requirements that enumerators present two form of identification prior to hire. Many homeless people have lost their identification papers.
Concerned individuals, homeless advocates, and homeless assistance service providers should:
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Encourage persons experiencing homelessness to participate in the 2010 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau offers advertising and recruiting materials online at www.census.gov/2010census.
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Ensure that worksheets sent to social service organizations in your community which list emergency shelters and nonsheltered outdoor locations are completed and returned to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Contact your regional field office (http://www.census.gov/field/www/) ) to volunteer to become a census questionnaire assistance location or Be Counted site, which distributes census forms.
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Form a community-based Complete Count Committee. A Complete Count Committee allows community members and persons experiencing homelessness to flexibly develop a strategy to enhance the SBE operation and representation of homeless persons in the 2010 Census. To start a Complete Count Committee contact your local U.S. Census Bureau office, which can be found online at www.census.gov/field/www/.
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Prepare a job fair with the Census Bureau, where a Census Bureau representative administers the test and applicants complete all necessary paperwork. The job fair should be exclusively for homeless individuals. Contact your local Census Bureau office for additional information.
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Write, e-mail, or call your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators as well as U.S. Census Bureau officials asking them to not release a separate homeless count because the count impacts poverty levels, which are used for funding. An undercount of persons experiencing homelessness, thus results in limited funding.
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Furthermore, please contact National Coalition for the Homeless at (202)462-4822 or info@nationalhomeless.org with additional questions or concerns about the SBE operation.
