Park View, D.C.

The 2010 Census forms have started to arrive in local mailboxes. The 2010 census form is designed to tack about 10 minutes to fill out the Census Bureau claims it’s among the simplest in history.

While this Census is important overall, it is critical to Park View. The neighborhoods population has been declining since 1950 — which means fewer and fewer federal dollars have been spent in the community. This year could be the first year Park View registers an increase in population in over 50 years — and that would mean an increase in federal funds.

I think Ceclia Jones put a fine point on the importance of the Census with the following statement:

Why is it important that everyone in our community is counted? Census 2010 determines the allocation of federal funds for:

• Metrorail
• Hospitals
• Public Schools
• Job Training Centers
• Senior Centers
• Bridges, Tunnels, and Public-Works Projects
• Emergency and Disaster Preparedness and Services

Park View populations from previous censuses

Why does it always seem like resources in our area are stretched too thin? One reason is that Ward One’s Census 2000 poor response rate has affected the flow of government funds to needed services. Let’s not make the same mistake this time. We can act now or complain later. Even un-counted community members will require services listed above. Wouldn’t it be great if there were appropriate funding, based on accurate counts?

For every person in Ward One who is not counted, thousands of dollars will be “left on the table,” not just in 2010, but every year for TEN YEARS!!! Also, for every household that does not mail the Census form back, the Census bureau will have to pursue additional steps to attempt to count the household’s members, including additional mailings and in-person visits by paid census-takers. These additional steps come at a cost, and we, the tax-payers, pay the bill. Help spread the word to your neighbors and household members–don’t throw the Census form away with the junk mail. Fill it out and mail it back. I just filled out mine. It really was pretty easy!

Want to avoid scams? Need more information? Please visit the 2010 Census Bureau’s website: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

Want to get more involved? There will be at least a few more Census 2010 outreach events. Please participate–help spread the word!

This entry was posted on March 17, 2010 at 8:01 am and is filed under Community Involvement, Government, People. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: census, Park View