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2/23/2010 8:00:00 PM
Group promotes 'complete count' in Montcalm County
Danielle Arndt
Daily News staff writer
STANTON - An ad hoc committee convened by the Montcalm Human Services Coalition (MHSC) has been dedicating its time to educating residents about the importance of the upcoming census.
The 2010 Census will begin around March 17 when questionnaires are mailed to residents homes. April 1 is the official census day.
Based on 2000 Census data, the U.S. Census Bureau has identified Montcalm County as a "hard-to-count" area.
That classification is determined by evaluating and scoring certain characteristics in the county's precincts, such as the number of single-parent households, mobile homes, renters, nonhigh school graduates, impoverished or low-income families, unemployed and people ages 0 to 17 and 65 and older.
The higher the score a precinct receives, the greater the risk, said Lisa Lund, member of the MHSC Complete Count Committee. A score of 30 or more receives special attention by the U.S. Census Bureau.
On Monday, Lund urged Montcalm County Board of Commissioners and other community members to join the committee's objective and reach out to residents in these areas.
Vestaburg, Crystal and parts of Eureka and Ferris townships were targeted as the county's most high risk areas, each scoring more than 30. Many other areas were close with a score of 29.
"This is really important and time is limited," Lund said. "With the economy and unemployment rates here, we need to ensure our county has every advantage. People can't control a lot of things right now in Michigan, but this census activity is a 10-year investment in our future that they can control."
Complete Count has met twice since the beginning of the year. They have sent letters and information packets to government leaders about what it means to do an accurate census count.
Lund said every year the federal government allocates more than $400 billion dollars to states and communities based in part on census data. Political representation and precinct boundaries are based on Census data as well, she said.
Bob Clingenpeel, director of Montcalm County's Commission on Aging and chairman of the MHSC, said some elderly people who travel south for the winter may get missed in the count. Others are leery of the survey's confidentiality, he said.
"(The U.S. Census Bureau) is under oath to not share your information with the FBI or CIA or any other government group. You are not a dot on the wall somewhere in Washington, D.C., if you fill this out," Clingenpeel said.
He said if residents don't fill out the form, census workers will show up at their homes.
"Then it will feel a little more like big brother," he said.
Lund said another reason people may be missed in the count is because, due to the economy, two families may be living under one roof.
The U.S. Census Bureau wants to see four Questionnaire Assistance Centers established in Montcalm County with people available a minimum of 15 hours per week to help community members fill out their surveys. There would also be extra surveys for people who maybe did not received one or lost it.
So far, the Michigan Works office in Greenville and Mid-Michigan District Health Department building in Stanton have agreed to host centers. Four other locations are targeted for Crystal, Vestaburg, Edmore, Howard City and Lakeview.
"It is a time-limited effort for maybe the next three to six weeks," Lund said. "I believe it is something we can really focus on and make a big difference in."
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Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Article comment by:
Josh Lillie
The only information one is legally required to and should give the government is the number of people living in your home.
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