GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Saturday morning, volunteers and community partners joined forces to canvass Grand Rapids neighborhoods and encourage residents to fill out the census.
The Grand Rapids Complete Count Committee estimates the about 26,000 city residents have not participated in the census yet. The deadline is Sept. 30. The committee says this equals $470 million over the next 10 years in lost funding for schools, health care, roads and other services.
The committee along with the Grand Rapids Public Schools West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce West Michigan Asian American Association PROACTIVE and local social service agencies canvassed neighborhoods on the South West side of the city.
A news release said they focused on undercounted areas. They will be on the Southeast side next weekend.
City leaders have been urging people to participate in the census, which is used to determine federal and state funding for Grand Rapids. It also affects legislative districts.
People can help canvass next Saturday, Sept. 19. They can sign up here. They will be equipped with COVID-19 personal protection equipment and be required to follow health and safety guidelines while they encourage residents to complete the census safely and efficiently. Refreshments, lunch and other canvasing supplies will be provided.
Complete the 2020 Census at my2020census.gov. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and results in about $18,000 for each person counted.
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