Michigan Black Caucus Foundation canvasses in Detroit to urge census participation

Detroit's 2020 Census response rate remains low

DETROIT – Not even 50 percent of Detroit households have filled out the 2020 Census, which is unfortunate considering how much it benefits the communities that are in need.

The Michigan Black Caucus Foundation is trying their best to change that -- one door at a time.

“We’re going to be knocking around 28,000 doors between now and August,” said Michigan Black Caucus Foundation Executive Director Minou Jones. “We’re really knocking on doors to stress the importance of completing the census, and we’re also providing assistance.”

Jones says the organization is doing all it can to make the process easier by visiting Detroit homes and urging the residents inside to fill out the 10-part questionnaire.

“If someone hasn’t completed the census and they have a cell phone or tablet, they can grab it and we’ll walk them through accessing census.gov and completing the questions,” Jones said.

The organization is currently visiting Detroit neighborhoods with the fewest responses to the census.

“We’re doing this project through the city of Detroit’s 2020 Census campaign,” Jones said. “They provided us with areas of the city that have low reporting.”

Jones believes the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a large factor in low census response rates throughout Detroit. Still, organization members are doing their best get everyone counted -- which only takes about 10 minutes per household.

“10 questions, 10 minutes is going to bring $5,000 to Detroit for each resident that completes it,” Jones said.

Nationally about 61.8 percent of households have completed the census. Michigan’s overall response rate has been one of the highest in the country, and is currently around 68 percent.

READ MORE: Michigan census response rate ranks 3rd nationally, Detroit lags behind


About the Author:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.