Thousands of households in the borough have received the 2010 Census form recently and community leaders want to ensure that all of Queens gets counted.
For this reason, despite the nor’easter of Saturday, March 13, representatives of various groups announced the creation of the Census Coalition of Jackson Heights “to send the community the message to please participate in the 2010 Census,” according to Jessica Ramos, one of the organizers. The coalition will help residents complete their forms and answer any questions that they might have.
Every ten years, the U.S. Constitution requires the government conduct a census of the population to decide Congressional apportionment and the administration of public federal funds – funds that would be used for school, roads, hospitals, food stamps and assistance to small business, among other uses.
“The message is simple. We need everyone to register, that everyone completes the questionnaire,” said Adolfo Sánchez, president of the Colombian Civic Center. “We need more resources for our neighborhoods. Please make sure you are counted.”
For the 2000 Census, only 55 percent of the residents of New York City returned their forms, compared to the 67 percent of national average. This year’s form has only 10 questions and takes under 10 minutes to complete.
Gurpal Singh, the founder of SEVA, a nonprofit community that group serves the area’s Sikhs and others, explained that for each person that did not complete the forms, the neighborhood lost $30,000.
A lot of people, in particular immigrants, refuse to complete the form. However, the Office of the Census reassures that the answers are secure and confidential, and that all employees were subjected to background checks and would be penalized if they violated this policy.
“There is no question of immigration status in the Census,” Singh said.
The organizations that form part of the Jackson Heights Census Coalition include the Colombian Civic Center, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (N.I.C.E.), the Working Family’s Party North, Queens Community House, Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Queens Legal Club, SEVA and Chhaya.
N.I.C.E. will offer help in with the Census forms on Saturday, March 27 from 11 a.m. at The Renaissance Charter School located at 35-59 81st Street near 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Assistance will be provided in Bengali, English, Hindi, Mandarin Nepali, Spanish, and Urdu. For more information call and ask for Alejandra at 718-205-8796.
