DETROIT – Time is running out to fill out the 2020 census.
The state of Michigan is in the upper tier for census returns at 67.8 percent. The city of Detroit is at 47.2 percent, the city’s census director is hopeful it can at least get that up over 50%.
READ: US Census Bureau to drop off questionnaire packets to 106,631 Michigan households
The return rate of the 2010 census in the city was 53 percent.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) put a serious damper on all the outreach initiatives. There were more than 90 events scheduled to start in March to push people to take the five minutes and fill out there form. All of those events had to be canceled because of COVID-19.
Officials have had to recalibrate their strategy, which is why there was a parade of cars and music across southwest Detroit on Wednesday evening. It was meant to encourage people to fill out the census.
READ: ‘Soft opening’ for census door knocking to begin next month
“The parade raises awareness in a critical neighborhood,” Detroit Census Campaign Director Vicky Kovari said.
According to Kovari, the math looks like this: For every census returned, Detroit gets $5,000 in federal monies that go to educational, food assistance and Medicaid programs.
Because coronavirus canceled all their public events, you can expect to see census teams with their masks on going door-to-door in areas like apartment buildings. Those areas tend not to have great return rates to encourage people to fill out the census.
Census information is confidential.
“Detroit needs you to respond to the census,” Kovari said. “Programs that you use that are really saving lives right now: healthcare, education, meals these programs depend on federal money and they depend on you filling out your census form.”
READ: Population decline predicted for Detroit because 2020 census field operations put on hold