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Question: I saw that the census will be online. In the past the census would be mailed on paper forms. Many of us do not have home computers and would like to participate by mail. Will we be able to? We count, too!
Answer: Yes, you will be able to respond by mail if you prefer. From March 12-20, households will begin receiving U.S. mail from the Census Bureau that will explain that there are three ways to respond to the 2020 census: online, by phone or by mail. Choose the one method that you prefer. The mailer will have specific instructions for each method.
The official census day is April 1. You’ll tell the census where you live as of that date.
You’re correct that it is important for everyone to be counted. The 2020 population numbers will influence everything from federal funding to electoral redistricting for the following decade. Census data guides the dispersal of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding at the state and local levels, throughout the country.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is particularly concerned about improving the accuracy of census counts of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs, in census lingo), roughly a third of whom live in hard-to-count census tracts and are at risk of being missed; this population has been undercounted for decades, the council says.
It urges all Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders to participate in the census, and is funding grants to nonprofit and civic organizations for community outreach to help boost participation. Find out more at 808ne.ws/nhpicen.
“When NHPI communities are undercounted, political boundaries may not accurately represent reality. Undercounting results in NHPIs being denied a full voice in policy decision- making. Further, their communities’ different needs may not be represented or prioritized according to their real share of the population,” the council says on its website.
Q: Do homeless people get counted? Hawaii needs more funding for social services.
A: Yes. The U.S. Census Bureau says it takes special steps to count homeless people and to ensure that each individual isn’t counted more than once. In 2020 this will be the process nationwide:
>> March 30: Counting people who are in shelters.
>> March 31: Counting people at soup kitchens and mobile food vans.
>> April 1: Counting people in nonsheltered, outdoor locations, such as tent encampments and on the streets.
Getting an accurate count is essential, as census figures are used to determine federal funding for an array of social services that strive to help homeless people.
Auwe
On Saturday at about 3:15 p.m., I was on Young Street between Keeaumoku and Piikoi streets when a family of five walked out from between two parked cars right in front of my bicycle. It was mom and dad with three young children, one of whom was being carried. They were not near a crosswalk. I believe that if I had been in a car, I would have hit all five, as they were gathered into one little cluster of bodies. The adults were reckless, and the children would have paid the price. — Barbara
Mahalo
A belated mahalo for a kind deed that we would like to acknowledge. On Christmas Day at the Safeway market in Salt Lake Shopping Center, my husband and I were in the express line to buy two containers of ice cream. When it was our turn, the cashier told us that the customer ahead of us had paid for it. We were very surprised at such a kind gesture. We just want to say thank you to the young woman who paid for our ice cream. May she have a wonderful 2020! — M. Sato
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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