Photo by Jon Anderson.
191121_Hoover_census_prep
Melanie Posey, the public information director for the city of Hoover, talks at a Nov. 21 Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon about the importance of the 2020 Census.
You may have heard it said there is a time to stand up and be counted.
Officials with the city of Hoover are taking that literally and have a plan to maximize the number of Hoover residents counted in the 2020 Census.
The official U.S. Census comes around only once every 10 years, and it has a practical impact, city officials say.
It not only lets people know how many people live in particular cities, counties, zip codes and states, but it also helps determine how many legislators get to represent each state in Congress and helps determine how $675 billion of federal money is distributed each year, said Melanie Posey, the public information officer for the city of Hoover.
The city of Hoover in one way or another receives about $1,600 in federal benefits for every person counted, said Posey, who is leading the city’s effort to encourage people to participate in the census.
That money comes in many forms and for many things, including road projects, Medicare and Medicaid programs, foster care, Pell grants for college, small business development, the national school lunch program, special education, career and technical education, veterans’ programs, and shelters for battered women and children, just to name a few things, Posey said.
In 2010, participation in the census by Hoover households fell by 2 percent, according to information provided to the city by the U.S. Census Bureau, Posey said.
“It may not sound like a lot until you consider how much per person we lost based on those numbers,” she said.
The 2010 Census counted 81,619 people in Hoover, up from 62,742 in 2000. That documented Hoover as the sixth largest city in the state. The latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau for Hoover’s population in July 2018 was 85,108, but a recent estimate from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) Business Analyst put Hoover’s population at 88,215.
Alabama is predicted to lose at least one seat in Congress because of the 2020 Census, which would reduce the state’s impact on national issues, Posey said. The state could even lose two seats, she said. That makes it all the more important for every person to be counted, she said.
For the first time, people will be able to complete the census electronically on their phones or computers, Posey said. People also can share their household’s information with the Census Bureau over the phone or by filling out a paper questionnaire if they prefer, she said.
The Census Bureau will ask questions such as how many people are living at a given address, if and how they are related, their ages, sex, races and marital status. It will not ask about citizenship status.
The official kickoff for the census is April 1, but people can begin taking it online in late March, Posey said. The deadline to complete it is in July, she said.
In July 2019, the city of Hoover formed a 30-person committee to devise a strategy to raise awareness about the census. The committee includes people from many sectors of the community, including the Hoover Public Library, civic organizations, media, schools, recreation organizations, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, businesses, the YMCA, Hoover Helps, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Realtors, insurance agencies and the Hoover Service Club, Posey said.
The group has been meeting once a month and developed a Hoover Counts logo for its campaign. It planned to launch a Hoover Counts Facebook page in December and in January fully launch an awareness campaign with banners and signs placed strategically around the city, Posey said.
She is also speaking to groups, including churches, PTO groups and civic clubs.
A special emphasis is being put on groups of people who historically have had lower participation rates in the census, such as senior citizens and people who were born in other countries, she said.
The Hoover committee also plans to host a special event April 1 to draw attention, Posey said.
The state of Alabama received $1 million for awareness campaigns, and Hoover requested $10,000 of that through a grant application process but did not receive the grant, she said.
If people respond to the census early, they likely won’t have to deal with Census Bureau workers coming to their door to ask the questions in person, Posey said.
For more information on the 2020 Census, go to census.alabama.gov or visit the Hoover Counts Facebook page.
