MICHIGAN CENSUS

A field hearing held on Monday at Wayne County Community College showcased some of the evidence that the 2020 census in Detroit was undercounted.

DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Rep. Rashida Tlaib announced Wednesday they’re preparing to challenge the result of the 2020 Census. City and state officials argued that more time was needed to count due to the hurdles posed by COVID-19. The city of Detroit is in a lawsuit against the federal government to prove it counted Detroit properly. It is basically preemptively challenging the Census Bureau into proving Detroit was properly counted and thereby forcing congressional oversight over the Bureau. Click here to learn more about the U.S. CensusClick here to see more national and state census response data

The deadline to complete the 2020 Census has been shifting back and forth due to the coronavirus pandemic and numerous court rulings. Each Michigan resident counted in the census accounts for $3,000 in federal funding provided to the state. However, federal funding for states are based on the entire state’s census response rate, not just the response from individual communities. States are essentially competing against one another for federal funding associated with the census. The 2020 Census is a 9-question survey designed to count the population across the country and five U.S. territories.

Michigan leaders are expressing concern and disappointment after the Supreme Court ruling to halt the 2020 Census. After the Supreme Court’s decision, the Census Bureau said field operations would end on Thursday. Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said Michigan can’t afford to lose out on Census funding. In light of the many obstacles the 2020 Census has faced during the pandemic, I am calling on the federal government and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to continue the 2020 Census to its original deadline of Oct. 31. “Every day matters and an undercount in the 2020 Census would have drastic consequences for the state.

Leaders of Michigan’s “Be Counted” campaign spoke Tuesday about the challenges and successes of completing the census, which impacts federal funding for schools, road repairs and other public programs. “We are deeply concerned that numerators will not have sufficient time to ensure that Michigan’s most vulnerable communities are fully counted,” state demographer Eric Guthrie said. “We are confident that Michigan’s wealthiest areas will be fully represented in the 2020 census. The “Be Counted” campaign is using advertisements to inform people about the importance of the census as well as knocking on doors in communities with limited access to the internet. The self-response rate for the entire U.P.

WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – A Wayne County nonprofit has helped thousands more people than usual during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but the organization’s leader is worried about low census response could affect finances. The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency loaded food packages onto trucks outside Atlas Wholesale Food in Detroit. 1 request,” Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency CEO Louis Piszker said. If you don’t take the time to be counted, organizations such as the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency could be hurt, and that hurts the community. “If you take a family of four that makes under $40,000 a year, if that family has two children, they might not get Head Start services,” Piszker said.

DETROIT – Just before midnight, a federal judge ruled the count for the U.S. census will not end next week. Census workers and households have until the end of October to get the form filled out. “That extends the door knocking,” said Victoria Kovari, from the city of Detroit census. “It extends the website response, the phone lines, etc.”In April, the Census Bureau announced operations would be extended until the end of October because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “Congress could still act to extend the time the Census Bureau has to deliver the population count beyond Dec. 31.

DETROIT – The final push is on -- the final day to fill out the 2020 U.S. Census is Sept. 30. An estimated 50% of Detroit residents have filled out the census and officials are urging everyone to raise that number. With everything from medical care to school funding on the line, Detroit will lose $18,000 in services for every person who doesn’t fill out the Census. With a passion for helping children in Detroit, McDonald knows how important filling out the census is“It’s not going to get better if you don’t participate," McDonald said. Call your friends call your family members and ask them if they’ve filled out the census.

DETROIT – How would you like more money for education, health care and better roads in Michigan? Only 49% of Detroit households have responded, and Gilchrist wants people to know it’s safe to fill out the census. The census doesn’t ask any questions about citizenship, and if you’re not a citizen, you should still fill out the census because it counts everyone living in the United States. The census doesn’t share your information with law enforcement. The more people who get counted, the more money the state gets for key programs in the community.

DETROIT – “Direction Salon is the one stop beauty shop, where you can come and get anything from color, cuts, facial waxing,” said Nicole Williams with Direction Salon. And now, a chance to fill out your 2020 Census form if you haven’t already. RELATED: Detroit to lose $18k in funding for each person who doesn’t fill out 2020 US CensusNicole Williams is a stylist with Direction Salon on Grand River Avenue in Downtown. She said the hair shop is participating in the local Census 2020 Campaign, reminding people to fill out the form. The current deadline to respond to the 2020 Census is September 30.

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If you haven’t yet responded to this year’s census, you can:respond to the 2020 Census online here,respond to the 2020 Census by phone by calling 844-330-2020, orby mail by filling out the questionnaire that was mailed to your household. Click here for more current census response data..2020 Census response rate in MichiganThe national 2020 Census response rate is currently 65.3%. Mackinac, Oscoda, Keweenaw and Lake counties have response rates of 33% and below -- the lowest response rates in the state. Here are a few notable rankings:#4 - Huntington Woods , 93.3% census response rate#22 - Pleasant Ridge , 90.9% census response rate#41 - East Grand Rapids , 89.9% census response rate#48 - Beverly Hills , 89.5% census response rate#60 - Lathrup Village , 89.1% census response rate#66 - Berkley , 88.9% census response rate#102 - Grosse Pointe Woods , 87.7% census response rate#146 - Grosse Pointe Farms, 87% census response rate2020 Census response rate in Wayne County, DetroitThough among the region of higher census response rates, Wayne County has maintained a low census response rate this year -- a problem the county has faced before. Read: Abrupt census deadline may cost Michigan $300 million in federal funding, Congressional seatsThe U.S. Census Bureau earlier this year asked Congress to push the census response deadline from July to the end of October.

DETROIT Its time to be counted and census workers might be reaching out to make sure you filled it out. READ: Census teams in Michigan kick off door-to-door effortsCensus workers are in neighborhoods answering questions and encouraging residents to fill out the census. If you get a knock on the door, you can verify its a census worker by making sure they have a valid ID badge. They might also carry a Census Bureau bag or equipment. If you still have questions about a workers identity, you can call 844-330-2020 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

DETROIT Census teams across Michigan are urging people to fill out their census forms, and they said today is the day. We are currently tied for fourth in the nation, said Michigan 2020 Census Director Kerry Ebersole-Singh. And keep in mind, these are federal dollars. There are tax dollars weve already paid them to Washington DC and being counted in the census is one way we get them it back into our communities, she said. The last day to fill out your census is Sept. 30, instead of Oct. 31.

The clock is ticking on an effort to make sure everyone in Michigan is counted in the 2020 Census. Volunteers from different groups were out Saturday, hoping normally undercounted neighborhoods were heard and can get the services they need. The White House announced Monday its ending the Census a month early, despite the recommendation of the U.S. Census Bureau. READ: Worries about 2020 census accuracy grow with cut scheduleCensus experts, academics and civil rights activists worry the sped-up count could hurt its thoroughness and produce inaccurate data that will have lasting effects through the next decade. I want to make sure everyone whos out here today knows that.But the pandemic has complicated the 2020 Census, adding another hurdle as the clock keeps ticking.