GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The next six weeks are going to be an uphill battle for the City of Grand Rapids and its census workers who are desperately trying to get as much of the city counted.
"It’s going to be hard because we still have to practice the social distancing and still have to wear the masks, so it’s hard to reach out and talk to people and get to them like we were before. It’s going to be really tough," said census coordinator Kathi Harris.
The COVID-19 pandemic had already gotten off to a slow start when the Census Bureau moved up the end of the enumeration period from the end of October to the end of September. Democratic and Republican Senators are trying to get that new deadline extended, but until then, census workers are on the clock.
If the census deadline were today, Grand Rapids would only be 68% counted, which would mean the city would be leaving $100 million per year on the table. That money pays for everything from road repairs to hospitals and school lunch programs.
"I always go back to the children, because our kids, that’s our future and if our kids are not taken care of, if they’re not counted, if they’re not fed and educated properly, that’s going to affect all of us in the long run negatively," Harris said.
"Those kids are the ones that are going to carry us on. And we need to take care of them. We can’t do it if they’re not counted."
Harris says under-served neighborhoods would lose the most if Grand Rapids is under-counted.
"Communities of color are the harder communities to reach. The numbers right now are very low in those census track areas," she said.
"The trust factor is huge. People are reluctant to do this because they never know what this information is for, what the government’s going to do with the information. Are they going to come looking for me? Is somebody going to be knocking on my door for the wrong reasons? So because of all that it’s really hard for them to trust the process and want to participate in the count."
Grand Rapids PROACTIVE, which describes itself as a "non-partisan election protection coalition" is one of the groups working to change that.
"We’ve been doing a lot of grassroots things to make sure the communities are well aware of the census and what they need to do to help themselves, because that’s what this is," said Sarah Hampton, who serves as an enumerator and a member of Grand Rapids PROACTIVE.
Census workers started going door-to-door statewide in Michigan on Tuesday. They'll be carrying federal identification to prove they are with the census. They'll also have census gear with them. They will be wearing masks and social distancing and have been trained to count people in a safe way.
"Answer the questions and know it will be over. You need to answer. Don’t be afraid. They’re not coming to take you away. They’re not coming to report you to the government or anything. Just the census," said Gertrude Croom.
If you don't wish to speak with a census worker, you can also fill out the census online or by phone or mail.
As the Sept. 30 deadline grows closer, members of PROACTIVE worry what will come of their neighborhoods if they're under-counted.
"It is being cut off a month early. Why?" said Deborah Clanton. "Things are being done intentionally. It’s the intentional under-counting of our community. That is a big concern to me."
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