10 minutes, 10 questions, 10 years of impact

Minnesota Nonprofits and the 2010 Census

www.mnparticipationproject.org

Minnesota

Agenda

The Stakes, Logistics, and Challenges of Census 2010

Why Nonprofits? Eight (simple) Things You Can DoHow Minnesota Nonprofits Count! can

help your nonprofitQ & A

The U.S. Census

A constitutionally mandated count, taken every 10 years, of every person living in the United States; since its inception all are required to be counted regardless of citizenship or age

A basic task, a very complex operation!

What are census data used for?

Allocating funds Apportionment of representativesDrawing district linesCivil rights law enforcement

Community power

Allocating funds

Allocation of $6.2 billion annually in federal program funds to Minnesota, based in whole or in part on Census Bureau data

Some are distributed purely on populations (Social Services Block Grant)

Others based on population plus one or more variable (Medicaid is population plus income)

2001 Census audit indicated Ramsey and Hennepin County together lost $40 million in funding due to an undercount

Allocating funds

Minnesota receives approx. $1,204 per person annually through census-data driven federal formula grantsThat’s $12,000 over the decade for each

person counted in the census! (and $12,000 lost for everyone missed)

Used for planning and policy development on state and local levels

Apportionment of representatives

Each decennial Census triggers re-apportionment of House seats

Estimates for Minnesota show that the difference between losing and keeping a seat could be as small as 2,000 people

We’ve had 8 seats since 1960Midwest power is in decline

Beware of this beast…

Political power will be mine!

Civil rights law enforcement

Congressional and state legislative districts will be redrawn using the results of the Census

Accurate Census data are necessary to enforce Voting Rights Acts of 1965, which protects minorities from having their vote diluted

Other outcomes: MNDOT wants to build a road through low-income Latino mobile home park; 30% Latino according to Census, 90% Latino according to organizer’s knowledge of community!

How did Minnesota do in 2000?

Very high response rate 75% (national average 67%)

Least accurate of any stateHigh overcount 14,000 undercounted: we need to do

better, and we can!

Barriers and challenges to an accurate count

Who is at risk of being missed in the census?

Young children Unemployed people Snowbirds Students Homeless People with disabilities Families from recently

foreclosed houses People of color LGBT

Low income populations/renters

Highly mobile people Immigrants and people

with limited English proficiency

People living in complex households

Adults without a high school diploma

Concept of usual residence

Residents are to be counted at their usual residence

Usual residence is where you live 51% of the year

If there is no one place you live 51% of the year, you are to be counted where you are on April 1st, 2009

Where should I be counted?

A family moves from a foreclosed house into a relative’s house in January 2010

When the Census form arrives in March, the family most likely views their stay as temporary, and probably does not consider themselves as part of the household

Will the householder remember to include their relatives?

Challenges to Achieving an Accurate Count in 2010

Increasing diversity of population and growth in immigrant populations 1st Post-9/11 Census Lack of comprehensive immigration reform

Census Bureau in disarray Frequent warning reports from GAO Changes to 2010 census plan late in the process Lack of complete testing of key systems and

operations Key operational information is not available to local

partners

Challenges to Achieving an Accurate Count in 2010

Anxiety about data confidentiality All Census data are protected by Title 13

High-profile boycott from Rep. Bachmann Introduced legislation to make answering American

Community Survey optional Latino clergy boycott Confusing Census 2010 with ACS

In previous Census years, a portion of the population received a ‘long-form’

Since 2000 this has been replaced by annual American Community Survey (ACS)

This will be shortest Census form ever: just 10 questions

2010 Census Operational Milestones

Spring 2009: Address canvassing Summer 2009: Validate ‘group quarters’ list Fall 2009: Open remaining Local Census

Offices (LCOs) Fall 2009: Start recruiting census takers Late Fall 2009: Begin educational phase of

Communications Campaign January 2010: Launch paid media campaign

Operational Milestones (con’t.)

Late January 2010: Start census in remote and rural locations (continues through March)

March 2010: Pre-census letter, followed by mailed census forms and “thank-you/reminder postcard”

April 1, 2010: CENSUS DAYEarly April 2010: Targeted replacement

questionnaire

Operational Milestones (con’t.)

Late April - June 2010: Door-to-door visits to unresponsive housing units

Late summer - Fall 2010: Follow-up and coverage improvement operations

December 31, 2010: Deadline for reporting state population totals to President

April 1, 2011: Deadline for reporting detailed population counts to state governments for redistricting

2010 - 2011: Census ‘accuracy check’ follow-up survey

3 Special Enumerations

Group quarters Dorms, nursing homes, juvenile institutions April – May

Transitory March 22nd –April 16th Hotels, campgrounds, RV parks

Service-based enumeration Late March

Shelters Outdoor camps Soup kitchens, mobile food units

Why nonprofits?

Why Nonprofits?

ACCESS: To hard to count communitiesTRUST: Nonprofits are trusted

messengers CULTURAL COMPETENCY: Highest

response when people approached by people of similar cultural backgrounds in a culturally appropriate way

If we don’t do this work, no one will

How does census engagement benefit your nonprofit?

How does this benefit your organization?

Preserve federal dollars at a crucial moment in state budget crisis

Nonprofit communities being fully represented, means more power for nonprofits

Be a part of reinventing our nation and our communities

A great opportunity to organize your members in the cycle of advocacy

Census deepens civic participation

The 2010 Census campaign is a component of a larger effort to inform, encourage, and support people in being active citizens This includes participating fully in democratic

processes, including election activities, the census and redistricting debates, and public policy advocacy

People should understand that census participation is one more element of building power for their communities

1. Partner with the Census

It’s simple: sign up with your Local Census Office and receive the most up-to-date information on how to engage your community in the 2010 Census

www.NonprofitsCount.org

2. Add to Your Communications

Where: Website, E-Updates, NewslettersWhat: Key deadlines, websites to go to,

Drop In articlesWhen: Basic info now; More urgency in

late fall and 2010

Example…

3. Have Information in Your Office

Train your staff to answer basic questions

Sample Census forms Signage promoting Census participationContact information for local Census

officesInformation on job opportunities

4. Distribute Promotional Materials

Promotional items are synonymous with the decennial census. Request these items from your Local Census Office and begin distributing them to your communities. Items currently available: Chip clips, bags,

stickers, balloons, pens, pencils, window decals, etc.

5. Host Community Events

Hosting community events and forums can be a great tool for educating people about the 2010 Census. Your Census Bureau Partnership Specialist and the Local Census Office can be great partners in these.

6. Be a Questionnaire Assistance Center (or “Be Counted Center”)

30,000 Questionnaire Assistance Centers

One of your staff members paid by Census to assist people in filling out and returning their form at your community-based nonprofit

40,000 Be Counted Sites

Be Counted forms are census questionnaires available at community locations, for people who did not receive a census form in the mail or who believe they were not otherwise included on any other census questionnaire.

Be counted forms will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian. The form should be picked up and mailed back in the attached postage-paid envelope.

7. Promote Jobs

The Census wants and needs to hire people from hard-to-count communities

You can help your communities find out about jobs with the Census

Big hiring effort in Fall 2009

8. Join or Form a Complete Count Committee

A Complete Count Committee is a team of community members working together to ensure that all those in their community (however they define ‘community’) are counted in the 2010 Census.

Continue working with the Nonprofit CCC!

Start having conversations now!

The most effective way to increase Census participation is to have conversations about it between people in a relationship of trust

How Can Minnesota Nonprofits Count! Help?

Information sharing – www.mnparticipationproject.org

Census Resource Downloads

Downloads of: Nonprofits Count Fact Sheets, Timelines,

Toolkits and more tailored to nonprofitsLinks to resources from partners like LCCR,

NALEO, Housing and Homeless organizations and more

Census SWAG

TShirtsButtonsStickers

Targeted maps of hard-to-count areas

Access to Translated Materials

Downloads of census materials translated both into common languages (Chinese, Vietnamese etc.) and into less spoken languages (Thai, Hmong, Urdu) - as available

A Campaign for America

In the coming months we will hold up a mirror and get a new picture of America.

A Kodak momentImpacting 10 years of money, power,

services, policy and community infrastructure

Stay informed!

Minnesota Participation Project e-newsletter Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network

www.nonprofitscount.org Census News Briefs from the Census Project

(e-mail [email protected]) Midwest Democracy Network

www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

www.civilrights.org

For more information:

Jeff Narabrook, Public Policy [email protected]