We prepared for almost a complete year before April 1, 2020. Counties selected Complete Count Committees. The chairs from those Complete Count Committees attended trainings and wrote grants to help their county get counted. As many of you know by now those plans ended up not meaning much because on Census Day April 1, 2020, we were all on lockdown in our homes.
So here we are three months after Census Day and Lanier County has a 41.4% (as of 7/5/2020) response rate. The state of Georgia has a 57.7% response rate. Although we have not been able to do some of the things we had planned, does not mean the Census is canceled. It has just been extended.
Here are some of the ways you can still respond:
By Mail - If you threw away the Census form that was mailed to you, you can still print one or call for one to be mailed to you.
By Phone - To complete the Census by phone call 844-330-2020
Online - Online has been the most used way to complete your Census. Go to my2020census.gov and answer the questions and hit submit.
Why is this so important anyway?
The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. That funding shapes many different aspects of every community, no matter the size, no matter the location. Census results help determine how money is allocated for the Head Start program and for grants that support teachers and special education.
The list goes on, including programs to support rural areas, to restore wildlife, to prevent child abuse, to prepare for wildfires, and to provide housing assistance for older adults.
In 2010, the southern part of our state lost valuable representation when Senate seats and Representatives were moved to the Metro Atlanta area, because we did not get counted. Lanier County lets be counted!
For more information about the Census please call 229-585-1986, email lanierfamcom@gmail.com or visit the link on our website at www.lanierfamilyconnection.com.