The CENSUS 2020 is here, and The Puerto Rican Cultural Center is partnering with five community organizations in Humboldt Park, Chicago, to GET OUT THE COUNT. In this effort, HITN designs and produces the website and edits the videos on the home page, which serve as stand-alone PSAs on the organization’s respective social media.
The partners include The Center for Changing Lives, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, Chicago Commons, Centro Sin Fronteras, and The Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School. Visit the Census webpage at https://prcc- chgo.org/tu-cuentas-2020-census/
Together the partnership is launching a campaign to encourage all residents in Humboldt Park to fill out the Census form at: my2020census.gov. The goal is to reach Hard To Count (HTC) populations and help them count. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, HTCs include; immigrants, children under the age of five, racial minorities, and LGBTQ populations. Because of the coronavirus/COVID 19 crisis, we are concentrating our efforts online. The PRCC website https://prcc- chgo.org/ has a CENSUS 2020 page that will have information, news, social media posts, PSAs, where to get help, and FAQ information.
As well, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center is collaborating with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to conduct outreach and education among the Hardest to Count Populations in the Humboldt Park – West Town Community. The PRCC is the Regional Intermediary (RI) and is partnering with five organizations/sub-recipients to support the State of Illinois’s 2020 Census “Get Out the Count” campaign. This program will continue until the end of June 2020. In addition, the PRCC is partnering with local elected officials to ensure our community gets counted in the 2020 Census. The Latino community for decades has been undercounted in the U.S. Census. State Senator Omar Aquino shared with us that “The threat of being undercounted will be more serious this year due to the tactics of the current administration. As a unified community, Latinos need to take a stand to ensure we receive the valuable resources our communities receive as a result of the census count. Please take the time to properly fill out the Census so that our community’s voice will not be counted out.”
Census data also guides the allocation of more than $800 billion in federal funding to programs that are crucial to the well-being of families and communities. We only get one chance every ten years at achieving a full count – this data will inform important policy decisions and determine federal funding allocations for a decade. U.S. Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, said Latinos “have the most to win and the most to lose. I’m talking about resources; it’s also known as money or funding. I’m talking about power. The ability to influence policy from Washington D.C. to the state legislature to City Hall.” State Representative Delia Ramirez shared that “As we face this public health crisis, participating in the Census now helps secure future funding for our communities. Crises like the COVID-19 are exactly why the government needs truthful, accurate, and precise Census data.” Self-responding to the Census is the easiest way to make sure you are counted amid the COVID-19 situation”.
Residents can self-respond to the Census online at https://my2020census.gov/ or over the phone in English by dialing 844-330-2020 or in Spanish at 844-468-2020.
