Census 2020 implementation is underway. In addition to continuing our advocacy work on language access to remove barriers to Census participation, CAA’s advocacy team engaged with government to formulate strategies, conducted speaking engagements, amplified our work through media briefings, and provided train-the-trainer workshops.
Our outreach work and presentations aim to help prepare community providers to plan their own tailored census outreach strategies. Many providers serve as trusted messengers to hard to count community members and may be their only source of census information in the coming months. Many of our community members are considered hard to count which includes people of color, the Limited English Proficient, low income, and immigrants.
The 2020 Census will be the most challenging one yet to fulfill a complete count, especially in San Francisco. Hard to count communities make up a large portion of San Franciscans and will face several key obstacles to accessing the census such as language barriers, a digital divide, and mistrust in government. CAA is committed to sharing tailored census outreach strategies with service providers and government agencies to motivate hard to count communities to fill out the census. Through workshops and targetted outreach, service providers can dispel damaging myths surrounding the census and help HTC communities understand the positive impact a complete count will have on themselves and their communities.
The Census is a huge civic opportunity for citizens and immigrants alike. Supporting their access to the Census is paramount in ensuring that immigrants and communities of color are allocated their full share of resources and representation. Everyone deserves to be counted as census data determines the amount of funding for services crucial to immigrant families. These include MediCal, the school lunch program, CalFresh, K-12 education, preschools, and housing. In addition, roads and public transit funding also depend on Census data.
