[StBernard] Census Bureau Makes Special Efforts for Complete Count of Hurricane Affected Areas in the Gulf Coast

[Westley Annis]

Census Bureau Makes Special Efforts for Complete Count of Hurricane Affected
Areas in the Gulf Coast

WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Commerce Deputy
Secretary Dennis F. Hightower today met with local government officials and
community leaders to assess the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census efforts to
ensure a complete count of Gulf Coast residents affected by hurricanes
Katrina, Rita and Ike.


"We hired early, provided extra training, added an extra local office,
increased pay rates, and are delivering the form to any housing unit that is
or may be habitable -- all to ensure a complete count in hurricane-affected
areas of the Gulf Coast," Hightower said. "As people move back and the area
continues to rebuild, it's imperative that everyone be included in the
once-a-decade count."

As with similar procedures in extreme rural parts of the country, census
takers, this week, began hand delivering 2010 Census questionnaires to every
housing unit in Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes and parts of
Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. John and St. Charles parishes in Louisiana. (The
remaining parts of these parishes will receive their questionnaires in the
mail.)  

Census workers will leave a form packaged in a plastic bag at the home's
main door and residents are encouraged to fill out and mail back their
census forms -- using the enclosed pre-paid envelope -- as soon as possible.

In 2000, about 72 percent of the U.S. population mailed back their census
forms -- halting a three-decade decline in the national mail participation
rate. However, 2000 mail participation rates in the parishes receiving
hand-delivered 2010 Census forms lagged behind the national average. The
2000 rates:

.Orleans: 58 percent
.St. Bernard: 68 percent
.Plaquemines: 54 percent
.Jefferson: 71 percent
.St. Tammany: 69 percent
.St. John: 64 percent
.St. Charles: 67 percent


Mailing back the forms saves taxpayers money, as it reduces the number of
census takers that must go door-to-door to follow up with households that
failed to do so. The Census Bureau saves about $85 million in operational
costs for every percentage point increase in the national mail response
rate.

The Census Bureau is urging everyone to take 10 minutes to fill out the
census forms and mail them back. Starting March 22, visitors to the 2010
Census Web site will be able to track how well their communities are
participating in the census on a daily basis. Communities will even be able
to embed a Web-based tool on their own Web sites that automatically updates
the daily rates. An interactive Google-based map is now online that allows
visitors to find out how well their communities did in the 2000 Census. The
Census Bureau is challenging all communities to improve their 2000 mail
participation rates in 2010.

All census responses are confidential. Answers are protected by law and
cannot be shared with anyone. The Census Bureau takes extreme measures to
protect the identity of individuals and businesses. By law, the Census
Bureau cannot share respondents' individually identifiable answers with
anyone, including tribal housing authorities, other federal agencies and law
enforcement entities.

Special Measures Taken to Ensure a Complete Count in Katrina-Affected Areas

.Changing the distribution methodology for the census form


In order to get the most updated address changes and to ensure proper
delivery of the census questionnaire, all of Orleans, St. Bernard and
Plaquemines parishes and parts of Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. John and St.
Charles parishes will have census forms delivered to households by hand via
census employees. At that same time, census employees will update the
address list and leave a questionnaire for any units not previously
identified on the address list.

.Increasing partnership specialists and partnership specialist assistants in
the affected areas  


Partnership specialists -- staff responsible for developing relationships
with local businesses and organizations to help raise census awareness --
were increased for the 2010 Census, partially funded by the Recovery Act. 

In 2000, the Census Bureau employed three partnership specialists to work in
the area. In 2010, the Census Bureau has doubled the number of partnership
specialists to six.  

The Census Bureau also employs 18 partnership specialist assistants in the
area, bringing the total full-time personnel dedicated solely to community
outreach in Southern Louisiana to 24. 

There are now 84 complete count committees and more than 900 community
partners signed up in Louisiana.   

.Hiring staff early to help with research and outreach 


An area manager was hired approximately five months ahead of schedule to
begin researching the unique challenges facing the hurricane-affected areas.
The Area Manager conducted research and planning activities and began
partnership building with government and community leaders.  

A regional technician, who lives and has strong community ties in Southern
Louisiana, was hired at the same time -- six months ahead of schedule for
this position -- and became the first field employee hired for census
operations in the nation. The regional technician worked on the ground
conducting partnership and outreach activities.

.Ensuring that decision-makers were aware of the unique challenges in
Katrina-affected areas. 


Beginning in April 2008, the Census Bureau's Dallas Region staff organized
fact-finding tours for Census Bureau headquarters staff so they could gain
first-hand experience of the devastation within the region. Congressional
staff, training-manual writers and oversight groups also received tours.
Initial contacts were made with community organizations, faith-based
organizations, political leaders, grassroots, community organizations and
such to reestablish contact with existing partners and to create new
partners. This process involved site visits, telephone contacts and
one-on-one visits with local, state and regional officials to make sure
census staff properly understood the issues.  

The area manager developed an action plan specifically for the area. The
plan detailed issues that need to be addressed and possible solutions to the
difficulties.  

.Emphasizing Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) operations


The Census Bureau emphasized the importance of the Local Update of Census
Addresses by holding multiple workshops and actively engaging local
officials to ensure the Census Bureau had a fully updated address file
utilizing the knowledge of individuals who know the area best. This effort
resulted in the highest LUCA participation ever from Southern Louisiana.

.Planning for more local census offices


Based on population formulas, Louisiana should have seven offices. However,
recognizing the need to overcome issues related to Hurricane Katrina and
other natural disasters, and heeding the advice of local officials, the
Census Bureau allocated an additional office for Louisiana -- for a total of
eight.

.Providing extra time and area-specific training at all levels 


Local census staff -- those hired, in part, for their knowledge of the area
-- developed a training package for all hurricane-impacted areas. The
supplemental package provided additional training on issues and problems
specific to the area and emphasized problems that most affect work in the
area.  

Extra time was spent detailing when to delete housing units and when to add
trailers. Workers also went through an extra practice canvassing session
about adding a trailer.  

The training also included an additional section on sensitivity issues,
reluctance to participate, atypical living situations, and resentment toward
the government. Trainees were instructed to use their local knowledge to
identify any living situations unique to the area -- e.g., people living
above nonresidential establishments or other locations that may not appear
to have, upon initial inspection,  nontraditional living quarters.

The training package provided supplemental pictures of common situations
they may find in the area. A summarized Address Canvassing Reference Guide
was provided to each lister and was a resource to use during the address
canvassing operation.   

.Increasing the pay rate in the area above that recommended by Census
consultants


Census field workers in the area now make $17.50 per hour -- 50 cents per
hour more than initially recommended.

.Adding extra time and staff for the canvassing of Katrina-affected areas


The Census Bureau added an additional field office supervisor, increasing
the number from six to seven. 

During addressing canvassing, the Census Bureau also required listers to
"knock interview" every door to make contact with each household and verify
every address, rather than simply verifying the address without engaging the
residents.

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is
mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data are used to apportion
congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in
federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year and to make
decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form
will be one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions,
taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the
respondents and the information they provide.