VICTORIA KOVARI

Data from the 2020 census showed Detroit is home to 639,111 residents, a 10.5% decrease since the previous count was taken a decade earlier. “A loss of roughly 30,000 people translates to $150 million in lost revenue for the city of Detroit,” Kovari said. Two decades earlier, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young successfully added thousands of residents to the count after challenging the 1990 census results. Once the fourth-largest American city, Detroit now ranks No 26. While census data shows Detroit lost 74,666 residents from 2010 to 2020, the city dropped nearly 237,500 people in the prior decade.

Michigan’s vaccination rates are rising, but the rate at which some communities are getting shots in arms are slower than others. Among those communities that have seen a lower vaccination rate than others is Michigan’s Black community - where experts say concern surrounding the vaccine itself, as well as physical, economic and social barriers are a driving force behind low turnout. The vaccination rate among non-Hispanic whites is 48% higher than the vaccination rate for Michigan’s Black residentsKennedi Carter, a young, Black woman from Detroit, is one of many who has yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Gretchen Whitmer to create the Covid-19 Task Force on Racial Disparities, led by Michigan Lt. With similar outreach efforts being put in place by different local administrations, it may still be a while before majority Michigan’s black population gets vaccinated.

Nora Rodriguez hesitates before opening the gate to the front yard of a home on Detroit’s Southwest side after noticing the bold orange letters of...

In an effort to make Detroiters aware of the COVID vaccine walk-in clinics located throughout the city, city workers out knocking on doors of residents. In addition to passing out vaccine literature, they are also educating people on...

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 – There are reports that this year’s census count could get cut short. If it is cut short, that would be a major hit to the city of Detroit. Officials were urging people to fill out the census in a timely manner -- and now time might be up sooner than expected. “The Census Bureau was looking at changing the timeline for their population, which is called non-response follow up,” Detroit 2020 Census Campaign Executive Director Victoria Kovari said. Kovari spoke to Local 4 about the possibility of the deadline for the census survey ending sooner than what was originally planned.