Councilwoman leads ‘Day of Action’ to encourage
Queens residents to participate in 2020 Census
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 24-JULY 30, 2020 9
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
With the 2020 Census underway,
Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams is continuing her
partnership with the U.S. Census
Bureau and Chhaya Community
Development Corporation
to ensure that all Queens
residents are counted in the
decennial Census.
On July 9, Adams and
Chhaya CDC, an organization
that addresses housing and
economic needs for low-income
South Asian and Indo-Caribbean
New Yorkers, hosted a “Day
of Action” event at the corner
of Lefferts Avenue and Liberty
Avenue in Richmond Hill, educating
and encouraging the
hardest-to-count communities
in Queens to participate in the
Census.
“This pandemic has
brought into full light the
inequities in our current
system. Getting our community
members counted will
determine their fate in government
expenditures and
decision making for the next
decade and beyond,” said Annetta
Seecharran, executive
director of Chhaya CDC.
The campaign helped residents
obtain information and
receive on-site support to complete
the 2020 Census. It included
a multilingual and multitargeted
approach to reach out
to all residents including non-
English speakers and people
with limited internet access.
The effort reinforced how
the Census impacts federal
funding for vital services to
states based on response rates
and reminded those completing
the forms that responses
are kept confidential.
“It is critical that every
New Yorker is counted. Every
response directly impacts the
services that our communities
receive and I want the people
of Queens to know that this
process is important, easy and
safe, but will also shape their
future,” Adams said. “A successful
Census must be our
top priority so that we receive
the federal funding that we
deserve.”
The 2020 Census is the first
to rely heavily on online responses
in light of COVID-19
concerns.
As of July 13, 53.3 percent
of Queens residents have responded
to the Census, according
to the Census 2020 HTC
Map. If an average of about
5.7 households per day in each
tract in the county fill out the
census between now and July
31, Queens will reach its final
2010 self-response rate of 60.8
percent — an average increase
of only 0.46 percentage points
per day.
About a total of 487,850
households across the county
have already responded to the
census.
Jeff Behler, regional director
of the U.S. Census Bureau,
said it’s important to remember
that the 2020 Census is
“safe, easy and important.”
“Census data is critical for
public services like healthcare
clinics, emergency response
preparedness and education
programs,” Behler said. “The
2020 Census is your census
— the future of your community
depends on your and
your community’s responses.
Encourage response now and
lead your community to selfrespond
at 2020census.gov.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Councilwoman Adrienne Adams (c.) and Chhaya CDC host a “Day
of Action” event in Richmond Hill to encourage residents to
participate in the 2020 Census.
Courtesy of Councilwoman Adrienne Adams offi ce
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