NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — The COVID-19 pandemic has almost brought the 2020 U.S. Census data collecting process to a screeching halt. Here in Maine, all field operations have been suspended, and hiring or onboarding has been put on hold, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The decennial questionnaire is used to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars across the nation.
"It as a way of ensuring you have the appropriate representation and that your community is getting the funds they deserve, "this is a competition nationwide," said Jeff Behler, the director for the Census Bureau's New York Regional Office, which covers Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Puerto Rico.
Behler recommends while Mainers are staying at home to hop online and fill out the 2020 Census. The results determine the next ten years of funding for Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, TANF, WIC, infrastructure and mass transit improvements, and education, such as Head Start, Title I grants, and even school lunch programs in the state.
The new coronavirus pandemic is putting a strain on the healthcare industry, Behler says, if you want to support its workers and facilities, this is one of the best ways to do it.
"[A] complete and accurate count that will help local leaders determine how many vaccines they may need, or do they have enough beds in the hospital, are there additional hospitals to be built to support the community," said Behler. "This is just a very easy way at a time when we all feel powerless to take back some of that power by taking a few minutes to go online and fill out your census."
Communities fighting climate change and natural disasters could benefit greatly, not only with funding but for planning purposes, knowing and understand the exact demographic or characteristic of a community during an unplanned event.
Parents and families with a college student who lived off-campus finishing the semester at home should fill out their own census. The data through the school is typically recorded for students living on-campus, but off-campus students' information could benefit the college town and neighborhood.
To avoid census related scams, remember the U.S. Census Bureau will never ask for:
- Your Social Security number
- Your bank account or credit card numbers
- Anything on behalf of a political party
- Money or donations