Operation Ac-COUNT-Ability: Don’t Count Us Out
The Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research is partnering with the Illinois Department of Human Services to foster civic engagement and raise awareness of the importance of the 2020 census for marginalized communities.
“The census is important to communities, but people don’t always understand how or why,” says Dr. Joseph Strickland, Associate Director of the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research. Strickland is spearheading a new partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services to connect with specific populations for the 2020 census. “An accurate census count determines how dollars flow into communities to build roads and support municipal projects, and also can determine how many seats states get in the U.S. congress,” he says.
The populations in question are those described as “hard-to-reach” (HTC) and include communities of color living at or below poverty, homeless populations, young people who are away at college, people living in senior housing or housing complexes, people who have immigrant status, or even people who are simply leery of government. “In the past, these populations have often been underrepresented in census counts,” says Strickland, “and the Policy Center has real connections to many grassroots communities, so this partnership is a good fit.”
It would be impossible for any single organization to reach all HTC populations throughout Chicago, so the Policy Center is one of several organizations which have been tasked with this important undertaking. “Our outreach focus is college students and college-age students, people who are young and mobile, keeping in mind that college students can be older people, too,” Strickland says. “So far, we have focused on places and events where college-age people and college students gather, at campuses and movie theaters. We’re also focusing on communities where the City Colleges of Chicago are located.”
Additionally, the Center is leveraging its relationship with two community partners to conduct outreach in many marginalized Chicago communities. The organization Acclivus, Inc. will focus on south side communities, including Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Roseland, South Shore and Washington Park. And the Alliance of Local Service Organizations will focus on west side communities, including Austin, West and East and West Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, and North Lawndale. “Census Day is April 1, and that’s when you’ll see numerous people going out to take census,” Strickland says, “so at that point we’ll be involved in setting up pop-up stations with mobile laptops throughout these communities, so people can come and enter their info, especially people who lack technology at home.”
Strickland observes that, while having an accurate census count is very important, there are goals beyond the count itself. “One of our goals is increasing civic engagement, making community members more engaged, which is necessary when you want to create new public policy, or augment existing policy,” he says. “That takes grassroots community engagement. So as we’re out engaging folks for the census, we’re also engaging those who want to get involved, people who want to take action to make positive change in their community.”
But, he re-emphasizes the need for an accurate census. “This project is important because people lack information about the need for a census, and the need for government to have this information,” he says. “Many people don’t understand that everyone in a household needs to be counted, not just adults, not just people who are working, or people living there permanently. Everyone needs to be counted, and it’s important to have boots on the ground to help community members make the connections and engage in a positive way.” After a moment of reflection, Strickland adds, “And that’s important for us at the Policy Center, because we are always focused on community, equity and justice.”
Census Outreach During the COVID-19 Pandemic Heading link
Illinois was under a stay-at-home order in April and May, and social distancing was part of the “new normal,” but the Policy Center continued their crucial outreach efforts for the Census. “We are still trying to get the word out for folks to participate in the census online, via mail or over the phone,” says Associate Director Strickland.
Center staff have adopted some very creative approaches for engaging people online. “For example, we hosted a DJ live on social media to help broadcast the message, which entertains folks but also highlights the importance of the census,” Strickland says.
While maintaining proper social distance, outreach workers have also distributed goody bags with snacks, bottled water, hand sanitizer and flyers about the importance of the 2020 census. “We’re having to get creative, but we are still finding ways to get the word out,” says Strickland. “That’s how important the census is for our communities.”
