[Durham INC] Durham Ramps Up Census Outreach Efforts

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov

 

For Immediate Release:  April 16, 2010

 

 

Durham Ramps Up Census Outreach Efforts

Numerous Events Scheduled to Increase Response in Hard-to-Reach
Communities

 

DURHAM, N.C. - With the countdown to have all Census forms completed and
returned this month, the City of Durham is ramping up its efforts to
reach out to low-response communities.

 

The effort, led by the City's Department of Neighborhood Improvement
Services, is working in conjunction with other City departments and
community organizations to distribute Census materials and begin
community conversations about the bottom-line importance that an
accurate Census count will mean for Durham's future federal funding.

 

"An accurate population count is critical for Durham and the City is
doing everything it can to support the local Census office and ensure
that all people are counted that live in this community," said Constance
Stancil, director of the City's Department of Neighborhood Improvement
Services.  "We have set up more than 30 events in the areas that had a
low-response rate during the 2000 Census to educate these residents that
the Census is safe, confidential, and critical to Durham's continued
prosperity."

 

On Saturday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., community partner El
Centro Hispano will host a Census outreach event in the East End Park,
located at 1200 N. Alston Ave., to distribute Census-themed ball caps,
t-shirts, and yard signs.  On Monday, April 19, beginning at 5 p.m., PAC
3 Co-facilitator David Harris and a team of youth will conduct a
door-to-door campaign at the Royal Oak Apartments, located at 3031
Weymouth St., to distribute Census-themed ball caps and educate
residents on the importance of completing this mandatory questionnaire.


 

According to Mayor William V. "Bill" Bell, the key message in all of the
City's efforts is conveying to residents is that the Census is easy,
safe, and important for Durham.  "The information collected is going to
determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each
year is spent on infrastructure and services," Bell said.  "We're
talking about hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers,
public works projects, and emergency services.  Not filling out the
Census is a disservice to yourself, your neighbor, and ultimately your
community."

 

Other events scheduled range from providing Census materials and
clothing bearing the Census logo to local business owners to display in
their stores and restaurants, to equipping community representatives
with materials and information to use at Partners Against Crime (PAC)
and other community meetings. The Durham Police Department will also be
distributing materials and speaking with residents at a series of events
downtown, including Art Walk, Earth Day, and the Durham Senior Games.

 

For more information on the 2010 Census, including the location of
Questionnaire Assistance Centers and Be Counted sites that are now open
throughout the city, visit www.2010Census.gov or contact the local
Durham Census Office at (919) 328-1310.  To learn more about Durham's
Census 2010 Complete Count Committee, visit the City's Web site at 
www.durhamnc.gov/departments/planning/complete_count_comm.cfm. 

 

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