Did you know that 25% of Orange County – or close to 800,000 individuals – is considered to be Hard-to-Count during the 2020 Census?
That’s why we have joined Charitable Ventures and the OC Census Community Table – a diverse group of funders and nonprofit partners – to conduct Census outreach and engagement for our Hard-to-Count – HTC communities in Orange County. The 2020 Census project will run from July 2019 through September 2020.
For information and resources in a number of languages, please see the OC Census website.
A fair and accurate 2020 Census count is vital for Orange County.
We only get one chance every 10 years at achieving an accurate count – these data will inform important policy decisions and determine federal funding allocations for a decade.
According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the 2020 Census is facing unprecedented challenges, including years of underfunding, a climate of fear, the challenges of the first “high tech” census, and the potential addition of a last-minute, untested citizenship question. That means we will all have to work together to overcome these challenges and help achieve a fair and accurate census to ensure that the hardest-to-count communities—like people of color, low-income folks, LGBTQ people, immigrant communities, rural communities, and young children–aren’t missed.
What is the Census and why is it important*?
- The U.S. Constitution requires that every person living in the United States is counted every 10 years. The next census will take place from March through July of 2020.
- Census data are important to our democracy – these data determine apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and how district lines are drawn at all levels of government.
- Census data also guide the allocation of more than $800 billion in federal funding to programs that are crucial to the well-being of families and communities.
- Top 10 Census Guided Federal Programs: Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP)
- Medicare
- Highway Planning and Construction
- Section 8 Housing
- Title 1 Grants to Local Education Agencies
- National School Lunch Program
- Special Education Grants
- State Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP)
- Head Start / Early Head Start
(*) FROM NALEO’S FIELD AND COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT
We only get one chance every 10 years at achieving an accurate count – these data will inform important policy decisions and determine federal funding allocations for a decade.
A mom playing with her kids. 
A mom playing with her kids. 
A mom playing with her kids.
For more information about the Census 2020 and opportunities to participate, please contact Edgar Medina at edgar@splash.ochumanrelations.org or at (714) 480-6570
