Several community-based organizations in Brooklyn will receive funding to help encourage more people in the borough to participate in the 2020 Census.
As of Sept. 15, 56.6 percent of Brooklyn’s households have responded to the census. With just under two weeks until the deadline, Brooklyn has the lowest response rate compared to the rest of the four boroughs — Brooklyn is also considered the hardest-to-count country in New York State, with roughly 80 percent of Brooklyn residents living in hard-to-reach neighborhoods.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announced $493,216 in state funding will go to community-based organizations to help increase the 2020 Census count, especially in neighborhoods that have a lower response rate compared to the 2010 Census. The Office of the Brooklyn Borough President is partnering with the Brooklyn Community Foundation to allocate the funding to 20 sub-grantee nonprofits to conduct the following work to ensure Brooklyn is accurately counted in this year’s Census.
“We have less than two weeks left to make Brooklyn and New York City count. The stakes could not be higher. An undercount will mean a loss of political representation and federal resources at a time when we can least afford it. I urge those who have not yet filled out their Census to do so as soon as possible. It is an act of civic altruism to your neighbors and your community,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
The funding will go towards creating advertising through the media, including print and digital media, television, local radio, billboard or social media advertisements, as well as signage to promote filling out the census. The funding will also go towards more targeted advertising, including placing advertisements in ethnic press outlets and creating multilingual outreach materials and media campaigns, a transit advertisement program targeting Americans and non-English speaking people and the production of newsletters and flyers for elderly populations.
Informational kiosks will be set up in strategic locations to target the hard-to-count Brooklyn populations, which will have shareable printed outreach materials such as posters, flyers and multi-lingual palm cards. The funding will also be used to implement phone-banking and texting outreach operations as well as provide brochures and census sign-up capabilities at local food pantries.
“Brooklyn’s nonprofit community–the most trusted Census messengers–fought hard for this funding and we are proud to help deploy this critical support to bolster their essential work in advance of the 2020 survey deadline,” said Cecilia Clarke, President and CEO, Brooklyn Community Foundation. “As founding members of the Brooklyn Complete Count Committee, we have long recognized that making Brooklyn count 100% in the 2020 Census is a matter of racial and social justice for our communities, to ensure that everyone gets the resources and representation they are owed. We are grateful to New York State for its investment in getting Brooklyn to the finish line.”
The following organizations will act as sub-grantees who will carry out this work in Kings County:
- 67 Precinct Clergy Council
- Apna Brooklyn Community Center, Inc.
- Arab-American Family Support Center
- Asian American Federation
- Bridge Street Development Corporation
- Brooklyn Community Services
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Churches United For Fair Housing
- East Flatbush Village, Inc.
- East New York Restoration Local Development Corporation
- Faith in New York
- Flatbush Development Corporation
- Grand Street Settlement, Inc.
- Haiti Cultural Exchange
- Mixteca Organization, Inc.
- Neighbors Allied for Good Growth dba North Brooklyn Neighbor
- St. Nicks Alliance
- The Campaign Against Hunger
- The New York Immigration Coalition, Inc.
- The New York Urban League
“Let’s all take the 10-10-10 census challenge here in Brooklyn. 10 questions for 10 minutes that will impact the next 10 years of our lives. We need all to participate and be counted but most of all we need accountability and that can’t happen without quantifiable representation. Let’s get counted Brooklyn. Let’s prepare and solve the problems of our future today,” said East Flatbush Village, Inc. Executive Director and Co-Founder Eric Waterman.
“We are very grateful for the funds we have received to support our ongoing Census Outreach activities. As we embark on the final push to Make Brooklyn Count 100%, The 67th Precinct Clergy Council, Inc., is calling all Houses of Worship to join our 10 blocks, 10 years initiative and help get all residents within 10 blocks of your House of Worship counted. An accurate count will help ensure the necessary resources for these communities,” said Omyma David, Census Manager, 67th Precinct Clergy Council, Inc.
To fill out the census visit my2020census.gov.
