APARTMENT ADVOCATE
NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION /
NATIONAL MULTIFAMILY HOUSING COUNCIL
Making 2020 Count: NAA Partners with US Census Bureau
T
he data from the decennial census
decides the destination of over
$675 billion dollars each year,
affecting 55 federal programs, illustrating
the gargantuan effect that the Census has
on our democracy. NAA is proud to be a
partner of the U.S. Census Bureau as they
prepare to fulfill their mission to count
everyone once, only once, and in the right
place. That’s a lofty goal, even in the 21st
Century, which the Bureau have been
pursuing since it was founded.
When the results were returned in
1791, President George Washington and
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
expressed disbelief at the findings of the
nation’s first census. They were convinced
that the population was undercounted and
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wrung their hands over what this meant
for the new nation. They could not have
imagined how prescient their doubts were.
In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau is
thinking along the same lines, but rather
than data being collected by 650 18th
century horsemen, the 2020 census will
focus on slightly more… technological
methods.
For the first time, the Census will now
be conducted on the phones and over the
internet, as well as being available in paper
form, and of course, at your doors. The
Census Bureau took time early in April to
brief partners and press on the progress of
their preparation efforts for next year, and
that progress is significant.
They’ve already begun vetting more
than 200,000 applications for 50,000
temporary jobs helping to complete this
massive undertaking. And that’s just to
begin with: They plan to seek 2 million
applicants for over 500,000 jobs by spring
2020 when efforts will be fully underway,
according to Tim Olson, the Census
Bureau’s Associate Director for Field
Operations.
There also will be a broad, multimedia
advertising push to ensure that people are
being counted. More than 1,600 local and
state “Complete Count Committees” in
46 states have already been formed, and
more are incorporating themselves every
day. These committees’ missions encourage
local participation, answering questions and
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