Help Make Sure Berkeley Is Fully Counted In Census 2020

From the City of Berkeley:

Become an Alameda County Census Ambassador

Berkeley, California (Friday, December 20, 2019) - Help make sure Berkeley gets fully counted in the 2020 Census - and gets its fair share of state and federal funding over the next decade - by signing up to be an Alameda County Census Ambassador.

Alameda County is looking for organizations and individuals to serve as champions for the Census, a once a decade national effort to count all who reside in the nation. As a Census Ambassador, you'd be a trusted messenger helping educate, dispel misinformation and help people navigate concerns in your own community.

You'd receive training, communication tools, and materials to conduct outreach within your neighborhood, community organization, or house of worship.

Help people in Berkeley and the county be seen, counted and receive the funding their community needs and deserves. Sign up online today.

Why the Census matters

The US Census determines how Federal funds are distributed. Each person who gets counted brings back an estimated average of $1,000 per year in funding for critical services and infrastructure, such as affordable housing, schools, roads, public transit, and health care. When one person goes uncounted, local communities lose $10,000 over a decade.

Census results also determine State and Federal representation. Failing to count everyone could cost California a seat in Congress.

Locally, Census data is used to plan bus routes, draw our Council District boundaries, and locate community services. Businesses use Census numbers to decide where to open a store or locate their offices.

Berkeley is hard to count

The diversity that makes Berkeley such a culturally rich and vibrant place to live puts us at high risk for being undercounted in the Census.

Significant portions of our community are part of groups that are considered "hard-to-count," such as students, seniors, immigrants, unhoused individuals, people with disabilities, renters, and low-income households. All of these populations have historically been underrepresented in Census results.

Census Ambassadors will help Berkeley get our fair share

Because portions of Berkeley are hard to count, Census Ambassadors will play a critical role in ensuring our community gets the funding and representation we deserve over the next 10 years.

Ambassadors help support a complete count by conducting local outreach activities. They might:

• adopt their block: knock on neighbors' doors and remind them to take the Census
• help people complete their Census at a Questionnaire Assistance Center
• host a Census event or workshop
• staff a Census booth at a festival
• answer questions at a community event
• keep their network informed by sharing information about the Census

Alameda County's Census team will support Census Ambassadors with:

• training on the 2020 Census and how to conduct outreach
• handouts, fact sheets, and giveaways to distribute
• messages and graphics to share on the web, email, and social media

For individuals, Ambassadors should be able to volunteer for at least 20 hours total from March to July 2020.

Ambassador organizations will be asked to use their events, mailing lists, and social media channels to share information about the Census with the communities they serve. Alameda County can provide materials in 67 languages.

Sign up online to become a Census Ambassador.

This press release was produced by the City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.