“This time, it’s very different”

Efforts launched to bolster Census outreach

By Gregg McQueen

Aldrin Bonilla knows a thing or two about the U.S. Census.

Now Manhattan’s Deputy Borough President, Bonilla served as the Census Director for Washington Heights and Inwood in 2000 as a member of the Complete Count Committee in 2010.

He knows how much is riding on an accurate count in next year’s national survey, as New York stands to lose federal funding that undergirds many social programs.

“Things that people are used to, [that they] use daily – like school lunches, Medicaid funding, SNAP benefits – are at stake,” he remarked. “I don’t think most people even realize how much could be affected.”

“It’s vital that we ensure participation and get an accurate count,” he said.

Conducted every 10 years, the U.S. Census is used to determine the amount of federal funding a state receives over the decade that follows, and the number of Congressional representatives allotted to each state.

In the event of an undercount, New York State stands to lose upwards of $70 billion in federal funding for healthcare, education, libraries, infrastructure, and other essential services, as well as Congressional seats.

In fact, an undercount occurred during the last Census, causing the state to lose two seats in Congress.

T o increase participation in next year’s Census, the Manhattan Borough President’s Office has convened the Manhattan Complete Count Committee, comprised of over 60 different institutions including nonprofits, labor groups, and faith-based organizations.

Borough President Gale Brewer also created Manhattan Counts, a funding initiative designed to incentivize community-based organizations to devise innovative creative solutions to reach historically under-counted communities‎.‎

On September 17, Brewer announced that $52,000 had been awarded to 12 organizations, which will perform street team outreach, conduct social media campaigns, place kiosks at community centers and public housing facilities, and more.

Two of the grant-winning organizations are from Northern Manhattan – The Carter Burden Center for the Aging and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (in partnership with People’s Theater Project).

“We studied historically undercounted communities to decide where extra work is needed and these organizations gave us the best proposals,” said Brewer.

“Cities like ours, with diverse populations and large immigrant communities, have been preparing for the census for months. If we aren’t fully counted, we’ll be getting shortchanged in budgets and in Congress for years to come, so I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty and ensuring we’re doing all we can to make this the most successful census in New York City history,” she added.

After waging a bitter fight to include a citizenship question on the next Census, the Trump administration officially abandoned those efforts in July.

However, Bonilla expressed concern that damage had already been done, as immigrants may have already grown apprehensive about completing the survey.

“The fear, the concern, is very real,” he said. “The citizenship question was front page news everywhere. When it was repealed, that story didn’t seem to get as much attention.”

“I feel that we’re battling a disinformation campaign. I’ve heard immigrants say that the federal government will share Census info with ICE,” Bonilla added, referring to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “That is what we’re facing.”

In both 2000 and 2010, Washington Heights and Inwood and achieved the highest mail response rate and follow-up enumeration of any New York City neighborhood.‎

“We had several factors that would make you think we wouldn’t have a high response rate,” said Bonilla. “It’s an immigrant, Spanish-language area; it’s mostly renter versus homeowners. There were many factors, but we had a great response.”

While Bonilla is hopeful that Northern Manhattan will once again turn out for the Census, he said that the resources provided by the city, state, and federal government are not at the same level as 2000 and 2010.‎

“The funding was different then. In 2000, we had 600 employees working on the Census in Washington Heights and Inwood alone,” he said, including roughly 350 field enumerators going door to door.

“Since this is the first Census that can be completed online, they probably don’t think they need to same manpower, but I hope it doesn’t leave us short,” said Bonilla, who pointed out that there is no Census Director for Washington Heights and Inwood for 2020.

He recalled that there were 35 Questionnaire Assistance Centers in Northern Manhattan for the 2000 Census, as well as seven Manhattan Census offices. For next year’s census, the borough has only two Census offices.

“Because of the transition to online, it’s a cost-saving decision because the Census offices don’t have to play the same role,” he said. “The Census this time around is very different.”

Bonilla said he has also noticed subtle but important differences in how the 2020 Census is being marketed.

“In other Census years, at this same point we had t-shirts, Frisbees, stress balls, all kinds of swag to help promote the Census. You don’t see that now,” he said.

On September 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and the City University of New York (CUNY) announced an allocation of $19 million for community-based organizations to engage in mobilization efforts around the 2020 Census.

Community-based organizations will be selected for awards ranging from $25,000 to $250,000, city officials said.

Applications are open until October 15.

Organizations will be required to produce a planning document containing information regarding key local institutions and leaders, characteristics of high-traffic areas where census outreach might be conducted, and a detailed plan for operationalizing education and organizing efforts in 2020.

In addition, CUNY announced it will conduct campus-wide “Get Out the Count” activities, and mobilize a “CensusCorps” of students to conduct outreach, and administer and conduct ongoing monitoring of the awards program. A group of 200 students will serve as culturally and linguistically diverse ambassadors to promote the census, educate fellow students, faculty and staff, and their families.

“With the help of our partners and grassroots organizing, I’m confident we can mobilize all of New York City’s many communities and respond to next year’s census in record numbers,” said de Blasio.

There might be one distinct advantage this year, remarked Bonilla.

“In 2000 and 2010, social media was not as big a factor,” he said. “Now, you can use that as a way to get the message out.”

Ultimately, however, the need to get every resident counted is paramount, argued Bonilla, and all effort should be expended.

“This time around, it will be even more critical.”

For more information, please visit www.getcounted2020.nyc.