How does filling out the Census impact your community and every day life?
We’re here with Detroit Community Technology Project and Detroit Digital Justice Coalition to answer that and other frequently asked questions about the 2020 Census.
Is there something you want to know that we haven’t answered yet? Comment with your questions about the 2020 Census below, or email them directly to communitytech@alliedmedia.org!
What’s at stake?
The Census count affects funding for many programs that impact residents of Southeast Michigan.
Below, you can see how much was spent in Michigan on some familiar programs in 2016. Click the programs below to learn more about the programs.
$116 million
Health Care Centers
$780 million
Federal Pell Grants
$80 million
Community Block Grants
What is the Census?
Learn more about the Census from its history to budget issues to how it impacts local funding with our 12-blog series you can scroll through below, exploring these and other Census-related topics.
Who gets counted?
The goal of the Census is to count all people residing in the
United States at their usual residence—where they live and
sleep most of the time.
Not sure where you’ll be counted?
See if one of these specific situations applies to you:
Homeowners and Renters
with one residence will be counted at this residence, even if not physically there on April 1, 2020.
Temporary Residents
such as vacationers or multi-home owners
will receive the Census form at each housing unit, but should respond only from their usual address of residence.
Children Under Shared Custody
will be counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time.
Non-Citizen Residents
are counted at their usual U.S. address. Tourists and travelers are not counted.
Group Facility Residents
will be counted at the facility in which they are housed or living on April 1, 2020.
Active Military & Family
will be counted at their usual residence if stationed in the U.S. Those stations overseas are counted as part of the federally-affiliated overseas population.
College Students
are counted at their on-campus housing or usual residence, even if on holiday or break. Those attending school outside the U.S. are not counted.
Persons Living Abroad
as part of a federal mission are counted as part of the federally-affiliated overseas population. Other expats are not counted.
Persons Experiencing Homelessness
will be counted at their usual residence if applicable, or at the temporary shelter, residence, or outdoor location where they are present on April 1, 2020.
Who might be missed?
Hard to count populations make up large portions of Southeast Michigan’s residents, which is why there is such a strong effort to make sure everyone is counted.
These are some of the usual missing pieces to a community’s Census count:
For more information on these populations and how we can make sure they are counted, check out our Census Blog Posts.
Additional Resources
Visit these great resources to learn more about how to make your community count in the 2020 Census.
Michigan Nonprofit Association’s Be Counted Website
- Action items for nonprofits
- Counting for Dollars – more detail about the way Census counts impact funding
- Coloring pages for kids
Census Bureau’s Outreach Mapper to identify census tracts that might have difficulty being counted
Map of complete count committees
Preparing for the digital decennial Census
Why the census matters for people with disabilities
National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership key resources to complete count
Get Involved!
These graphics and flyers can help you talk about the Census to your friends and family! We all need to pitch in to make sure Southeast Michigan has a complete count.
Get Connected!
Share your stories about how these programs have affected you, or learn more about the 2020 Census at the next DiscoTech, hosted by the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition and the Detroit Community Technology Project. The next DiscoTech will be on Saturday, February 29 2020 from noon-3pm, at Detroit Association of Black Organizations (inside the Sheffield Center – 12048 Grand River, Detroit, MI 48204).
