The U.S Census Bureau would like to introduce the 2020 Census Mobile Questionnaire Assistance “MQA” program, which started July 13th and runs until September 18th. The intention of this program is to increase the response rate in low response/hard to count areas and help community members to respond to the census on the spot if they haven’t responded yet. This program allows census staff to come to any location/event, any date that our partner chooses and thinks will have a good turn out. This could be at an unemployment office, food distribution site, churches, or some kind of socially distanced event. They have a variety of options for this program to allow everyone to feel safe and comply with all COVID-19 guidelines. Basically, they will ask your members if they have responded to 2020 Census yet; if yes, we will thank them for doing that; if no, we will ask if they want to respond with their help on their electronic devices. if you are interested in hosting MQA event at a location or to refer us to any other organization, please contact Elie Boutros, Partnership Specialist by email here or phone here: (401) 834-2272.
The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. That funding shapes many different aspects of every community, no matter the size, no matter the location.
Think of your morning commute: Census results influence highway planning and construction, as well as grants for buses, subways, and other public transit systems. Or think of your local schools: Census results help determine how money is allocated for the Head Start program and for grants that support teachers and special education.
The list goes on, including programs to support rural areas, to restore wildlife, to prevent child abuse, to prepare for wildfires, and to provide housing assistance for older adults. Curious about what other programs are impacted by census data? Download this report to see a full list.
As of July 31st, the self-response rate percentage for the town of Milford is at 68.6%, compared to Massachusetts at 64.9% and Worcester County at 66.5%. The non-response follow up phase” sending census takers to visit addresses of those who didn’t respond on their own” will start August 1- October 31! You can check the percentage changes on a daily basis on this link here. For more information on the Census, click here. For a PowerPoint on info on the Census, click here.