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In 2010, Toledo and Lucas County lost a massive $208 million
in federal funding because minorities, non-English speakers,
renters and others went uncounted in that year’s
once-in-a-decade census.
Approximately 115,000 or 28 percent of Lucas County’s
population were missed, mostly those who, live in
hard-to-count neighborhoods such as 43605, 43607, and 43609.
While our community fights for a just and more effective
redistribution of resources from policing to community
programs and services, we risk missing out on urgently
needed funds for our overall change agenda to succeed.
The Lucas County Complete Count Committee (LCCC) was formed
to help the Census Bureau obtain a complete count in 2020
through partnerships with the City of Toledo, Lucas County
Commissioners, the Lucas County Public Library, and various
community organizations.
I spoke with David Zavac of U.S. Representative Marcy
Kaptur’s office and LCCC’s 2020 Census Coordinator, Deborah
Barnett about the struggle to count minorities and other
difficult-to-tally populations.
Perryman:
Good afternoon. What’s going on?
Barnett:
Trying to get the message out to our community to respond to
the 2020 Census.
Perryman:
What’s at stake?
Barnett:
Ohio receives over $33 billion every year distributed by the
federal government, based on population. So, the higher
number of people that we get counted, the fewer people we
leave out, the more money comes back to our community. That
money covers Medicaid, student loans, transit dollars, Head
Start, Section 8, transportation and highway construction.
Recently, with the Cares Act, which was passed to help deal
with COVID-19, the money that went to our hospitals was
based on formulas related to our population. The more people
we count, the more money we receive to support critical
programs that the citizens of our community utilize.
Perryman:
How much of those dollars reach black businesses,
nonprofits, or individuals? I suspect that black agencies
and enterprises, those who work closest to the problem and
who have answers, don’t get their fair share.
Zavac:
If we want more money for Medicaid, for neighborhood health
organizations, and for community development block grants (CDBG
funds) that get spent back into the community, those are
directly related to the census.
Perryman:
How about funding for nonprofits who work with schools or
the criminal justice system?
Zavac:
If we want places like the Frederick Douglass Center or
other nonprofits to get the capital improvements or
programming that they need, the more people we have counted
the more dollars will go in that direction.
As far as schools, the national school lunch and breakfast
programs, special education grants, and Title I grants to
local education agencies are part of the 2020 Census. When
they decide how much to send for these programs, they need a
snapshot of Toledo’s demographics to get a picture of who we
are, where we live, and what we need.
Perryman:
How does the distribution of funds penalize our community
when we undercount?
Barnett:
According to a George Washington University analysis, for
each person left uncounted, our local government loses
$1,814 per individual per year over the next ten years. In
our 2010 Census, it’s been estimated that Lucas County was
under counted by over 20%. That equated to a loss of funding
for things such as transportation and workforce development
projects, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
dollars, foster care, Section 8 housing and other programs.
Savac:
So, the more people we count, the more money will come back
to our district. On top of that, when they go to draw the
districts for Ohio, for Paula Hicks Hudson’s state
congressional district, for Teresa Fedora’s state district,
for Lisa Sobecki’s state district, the way that they draw
the districts is based on population. For Toledo, then, we
need to have as many people here as possible so that we have
as many representatives as possible to represent us down in
Columbus.
And then from a federal standpoint, the number of
representatives that Ohio gets in the United States House of
Representatives is based on population as well, so right now
Ohio has 16 seats. If we don’t count all of our people, it
could go down to 15 or maybe 14 seats. We could lose seats
because Ohio is losing some population. So, it’s more
representation in Congress; it’s more representation in
Columbus, it’s more dollars coming to Toledo, more dollars
coming to Lucas County and more dollars to the State of
Ohio.
Perryman:
Who are the people who are not being counted?
Barnett:
The low response census tracks which are in Councilperson
Yvonne Harper’s district, Teresa Gaddus’ district, and
Tyrone Riley’s district. Many of the individuals living in
those census tracks have limited access to the internet to
complete the census online.
Perryman:
How do we improve the response, particularly in
neighborhoods with high poverty or transience?
Barnett:
That’s why we must get people like pastors and community
leaders involved by being at the table, making sure that our
community issues are addressed. It’s never been easier to
complete the 2020 Census because you can complete your
questionnaire online, by phone or by mail. It’s basically
seven questions that you have to answer. They’re interested
in the count, the number of people that’s in your
household. When you receive your questionnaire there’s no
name on it; it’s addressed to the household and mailed to
your address.
Zavac:
I agree that it is a big deal for individuals to see
community leaders put their stamp of approval on the Census.
A lot of the calls that I get are from people, they get a
letter in the mail from the Census, but they’re skeptical
and don’t want to provide their information. One, it only
takes 10 minutes or less. I think stressing how easy it is,
letting people know that if they have questions about
whether or not it’s a fraud or something like that, they’re
free to call Marcy Kaptur’s office at (419) 259-7500.
They’re free to check it out anywhere so we can make sure
that it’s not some scam, but it’s crucial for them to do.
Perryman:
Individuals who may be undocumented, have outstanding
warrants, or owe child support may still be very fearful of
giving out information. What is your response to them?
Barnett:
The information cannot be used by anybody but the US Census.
It takes 70 years before they’ll release what the 2020
Census collects. So, there’s safety. The FBI, ICE, no police
enforcement agency can utilize the census information. They
don’t have access to it.
Perryman:
Okay, so from a practical standpoint, how do you complete
the census online?
Barnett:
Go to the website at
www.census.gov. Once you pull up that website, the first
command you see is to respond, and all you do is hit that.
You are provided a specific ID for your household. You
provide them with the ID and then go through and complete
the seven questions. I finished it in less than 5 minutes.
If you prefer the phone option, you call an 800 number we
provide you, and enter your specific ID code.
Perryman:
Every household has received a census form in the mail?
Barnett:
Every household received their questionnaire the week of
March 12 and a reminder some ten days after that. The
census takers will, again, drop off a questionnaire in
person at the homes that haven’t responded yet. They’re not
going to knock on the door and ask you to respond. They will
only drop it off at your door.
Then, in July and August, for those individuals that still
haven’t responded, the census takers will go out with an
I-Pad and try to get people to respond that way. They can
practice social distance, they can ask the questions, and
they can complete the questions on the I-pad.
Perryman:
Thank You!
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
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