DATE: March 18, 2020
TO: Community Service Commission
FROM: Community Services Manager
SUBJECT
Title
Census 2020 Update
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the Commission review the 2020 Census Update and City outreach materials.
End
SUMMARY
The following memo and attached packet of information provide an overview of the City’s activities intended to ensure Hayward residents, particularly those who are hardest to reach, are counted in the 2020 Census. Community members will be receiving their prompt from the US Census Bureau to fill out the census from March 12-20. This email is to inform you about staff activities related to the 2020 Census that will occur over the next five months. The last day for households to self-respond is July 31, 2020. The attached summary of activities outlines staff’s action plan for each of these items.
The City’s primary roles over the next five months are:
• Disseminating public information, including a press release this week
• Running Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs) at the two libraries starting March 16
• Coordinating on-the-ground outreach and targeted follow-up based on response rates
Census materials will be available in many languages:
• Community members can take the census online in 59 languages (with video guides in each language)
• Community members can take the census over the phone in 13 languages
• 211 Alameda County is providing phone assistance in 200 languages
Outreach Partners
In addition to the City, there are dozens of Hayward agencies who are working on census outreach (see the aAttachmented listI). The State of California has funded counties to provide outreach and Questionnaire Assistance CentersQACs. Alameda County granted this funding to 28 agencies in Hayward, including the City. In addition to the 28 County-funded partners, the City is requiring all agencies that receive CDBG or Social Service grant funds to participate in census engagement activities. The City is using its $20,000 grant from the County on overtime pay for bilingual staff to support the QACs, and on materials for a book-themed census outreach campaign.
Real-time Response Rate Map
The Census Bureau will be maintaining a real-time response rate map. Starting in April, staff will track response rates on a weekly basis and report to Council. If certain census tracts are experiencing low response rates, staff will work with the City’s outreach partners to target on-the-ground engagement in those neighborhoods.
Each agency has a census website. We recommend referring community members to the City’s website or directly to the Census Bureau.
• City of Hayward Census Website: www.hayward-ca.gov/Census2020
• Census Bureau Website: www.2020census.gov
• HUSD Census Website: www.husd.us/census
• California Census Website: www.census.ca.gov
• Alameda County Census Website: www.acgov.org/census2020
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I City Census Activities