PALMDALE -The United States Census Bureau has announced that it will send an additional reminder postcard to households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. The postcard is scheduled to arrive between July 22 and July 28, a few weeks before census takers are set to begin visiting most households that still have not responded.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of census taker visits from mid-May to mid-August, giving the Census Bureau the opportunity to send one more reminder to households encouraging them to respond online, by phone, or by mail. Responding now minimizes the need for census takers to visit homes to collect responses in person. About 57% of households in Palmdale have already responded online, by phone or by mail since invitations began arriving in mailboxes on March 12.
“I completed my Census form when I got it in the mail in March,” said Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer said. “I encourage everyone to fill out theirs because state and federal grants, program funds, and everything from libraries to job training are funded based on Census data.”
“I completed mine, and I want everyone to do the same,” said Councilmember Juan Carrillo. “I also want to assure everyone that your Census data is safe, and will not be shared with anyone, but is critical in receiving federal dollars for things like school lunch programs.”
The Census Bureau strongly encourages the public to respond online at 2020census.gov. Households may respond online or by phone in English or 12 other languages, or by mail using the paper questionnaire mailed to nonresponding addresses or dropped off at the door.
Mandated by the Constitution, every 10 years America comes together to count every resident in the United States. The Census counts population and households, providing the basis for reapportioning congressional seats, redistricting, and distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to support vital programs for states, counties and communities – impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care and public policy.
For more information, visit https://hagasecontar.org/ or contact Nardy Lopez at 661-267-5177 or nlopez@cityofpalmdale.org.
[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]
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