We are excited to announce that we will be working with the St. Louis Regional Census Fund to support the foreign-born community as they complete the 2020 Census. The St. Louis Regional Census Fund was created by a group of local funders, many of whom we currently partner with, to decrease the under-count by addressing barriers (real and perceived) and increasing access to culturally responsive and accurate information about the Census. 

We have committed, in cooperation with the St. Louis Immigrant Complete Count Committee, to educate our clients and their families about the census process, what to expect, and what they do (and more likely do not) need to be worried about in regards to information required. In some cases, we will be providing direct multilingual support in completing the census, with our case workers sitting down and going through the process step-by-step with clients as they fill out the forms on a tablet or laptop computer. We will also be providing a census completion station for individuals who may not have access to technology, or would like to fill out the form on the computers at the Senior Center. 

As the Census process continues, we will work closely with the state and regional census headquarters to provide accurate counts, address concerns in data collection, and work with the community to increase census participation and achieve a more accurate count for Missouri. Historically, Missouri has been vastly under-represented which affects the resources allocated to the state from the federal government. It is our hope that with this funding, we will be able to address the concerns that may prevent the foreign-born population from completing the Census and support them in doing so, therefore providing a more accurate count for the State of Missouri. 

Here are a few things you should be aware of as the Census process begins in the coming months: 

• Beginning in March, each residence will receive an invitation to complete the census.
• The Census will be available online, by phone, or by mail. 
• It only needs to be filled out one time per household.
• There is no question about citizenship.
• It is illegal for the federal government to use this information for anything but establishing a count of US residents.