QNS: City awards $19 million in census funds to community outreach programs, many in Queens

City awards $19 million in census funds to community outreach programs, many in Queens | December 11, 2019:  Chhaya CDC, a Jackson Heights- and Richmond Hill-based organization is one of the winning groups that will share the $19 million Complete Count Fund, the city’s first-ever community awards program focused on census-related education and organizing.

This joint investment by the de Blasio administration and the City Council represents the lion’s of the city’s $40 million going toward census mobilization, the largest investment by any city nationwide, and larger than those made by most states.

The fund is designed to to resource and train organizations to build awareness about the census, convey its importance, and fight the spread of disinformation. The census, conducted every 10 years, is used to determine New York City’s fair share of $650 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, representation in Congress, electoral votes, and more.

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Other community-based organizations in Queens that were selected include the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens, DRUM, HANAC Inc., Jacob A, Riis Neighborhood Settlement, Queens Community House, Woodside on the Move and Make the Road New York.

“Immigrant communities and communities of color who we represent are often the hardest to count and require concerted outreach from trusted messengers to achieve a full, fair count,” Make the Road New York Deputy Director Theo Oshiro said. “Over the last month, we have had conversations with more than a thousand community members about the census, helped answer their questions, and got them to commit to responding to the census. We look forward to educating thousands more community members across New York City.”

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