STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – New York City has kicked off a $40 million U.S. Census initiative the likes of which we haven’t seen before – aimed at improving on the city’s dismal 2010 response rate and ensuring that each borough gets its fair share of federal funding.

“We’re in a nationwide competition,’’ said Julie Menin, the recently-named director of the census for New York City. “There’s a finite amount of federal dollars for roads, tunnels, bridges, education, public housing, emergency preparedness . . . Hundreds of programs depend on this.”

The U.S. Census, conducted every 10 years, determines how more than $650 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, roads and bridges, and more, will be distributed annually throughout the country. It also defines the number of seats each state is allocated in the House of Representatives (and thus, the Electoral College).

Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and The City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez announced more than 150 awardees of the $19 million NYC Complete Count Fund, the city’s first-ever community awards program focused on census-related education and organizing.

That money is the lion’s share of the $40 million going towards census-related mobilization. It’s the largest investment by any city nationwide, according to the City Hall.

Ten years ago, the city’s self-response rate in the U.S. Census was 61.9%, Menin said. On Staten Island, that rate was 62.2 percent, she said.

“The self-response rate was, quite frankly, abysmal,’’ she said. “Our goal is to reach every New Yorker and explain to them why this is so important.

CONGRESSIONAL SEATS

Another undercount could cost the state of New York up to two congressional seats, census officials have said.

Nationally, a huge jump in population is expected, said Jeff Behler, the regional director for the U.S. Census Bureau’s New York region, which comprises New York, New Jersey, all the New England states and Puerto Rico. The 2010 count was 308,745,538, he said, and in 2020, the projected count is more than 333,000,0000.

Filling out the census questionnaire has never been easier, he said.

Residents will receive packets by mail during the week of March 12, according to Behler. The packets will include the resident’s census ID and an invitation to go online and answer the questionnaire.

Every resident will have the opportunity in early April to use a paper form if preferred, Behler said, adding that there is no risk, financial or otherwise, to filling out the questionnaire.

“We never ask for a bank account or credit card number,’’ he said. “We never ask for a Social Security number and we never ask for money."

5 MAILINGS

In all, five mailings will take place in March through April, including reminders and the eventual paper questionnaire. In mid-May, U.S. Census workers will begin knocking on doors of those who haven’t yet participated, explaining the process to residents and garnering completed questionnaires. In communities near college campuses, the door knocking begins in April, Behler said.

Currently, the bureau is recruiting thousands of managers, clerical workers and door-to-door counters for the 2020 campaign. To apply for a paid position -- on Staten Island, the pay rate is $25 per hour -- visit the website of the U.S. Census bureau.

The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting nationally for the 2020 Census. (Courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau.)

Residents will be asked the following questions on the 2020 Census form:

Name

Age

Date of birth

Race and ethnicity

Gender

Do you own or rent your home

Number of people living in the home on April 1, 2020

Your relationship in comparison to the first person listed on the form

“We have a fraud line that will be available,’’ in the case of people being asked for sensitive information, Behler said. “We don’t want people sending money and thinking they are responding to the census.’’

Participants can answer the online survey from their phones or computers, or over the phone he said. "We’re not calling households. They’re calling us.''

The nation’s last census, taken in 2010, was paper only.

Menin said past initiatives didn’t stress to residents the high cost of non-participation.

“No one said, ’if you don’t take two minutes to fill this out, you’ll lose funding at your local school',’’ she explained. “The message was that it’s your civic duty. It’s embedded in the Constitution. That message, quite frankly, didn’t resonate with New Yorkers.”

Behler said the U.S. bureau will reach out to “trusted voices,’’ including church pastors, business owners and community leaders, in order to reach everyone, including illegal immigrants who fear deportation and thus may be unnecessarily hesitant to fill out the questionnaire.

“By law, we cannot release any information that could potentially identify any individual or household,’’ Behler said. “Local, state, federal law enforcement can never access our data at any time for any reason. Your data cannot be used against you.’’

Twenty-eight community organizations serving Staten Island; four of which are located on the Island, are recipients of the city’s Complete Count funding. These groups are charged with educating residents about the census.

The Complete Count awardees on Staten Island are La Colmena, Project Hospitality, The New York Center for Interpersonal Development and United Activites Unlimited.

Both the U.S. Census Bureau and the city will initiate expansive media campaigns in 2020 to encourage participation.

"There is tremendous misinformation out there about what’s on the census and what isn’t,'' Menin said. "The goal of the media campaign is to clear that up.''

Self-reporting is the most accurate and cost-effective way to collect data, both Behler and Menin said, so encouraging others to participate will go a long way in ensuring that communities get the funds and services they deserve.

“It’s just not enough to pledge that you will fill out your census form,’’ Behler said. “We’re asking you to encourage your friends, your neighbors, the members of your schools and churches. What we do in the 2020 census will really shape the future of Staten Island. If we get an accurate count, they’ll get the funds they need.’’

Volunteers are needed to join neighborhood committees, Menin said, to help spread the word and clear up misunderstandings about the census. To join a committee, visit nyc.gov/census and click on your neighborhood on the map.

“If we don’t get our fair share of the pie, it goes to other states,’’ Menin said. “Other states will benefit. I can’t over-stress the importance of this. We need every New Yorker to fill the census out.”