Because census data shapes the future of your community and defines your voice in Congress.
* Every year, the federal government distributes $400 billion in funds based on census data.
* Census information helps determine where to build schools, roads, hospitals, child care centers, senior centers and other services that help our families.
* Businesses use the data to build supermarkets, shopping centers, new housing and other construction projects.
* Census data determine the allotment of the 435 Congressional House seats. States with larger increases in population gain more political representation.
* Census data determins key aspects of our civil rights laws. 

     The Census is a count of every person residing in the United States.
     The count must include people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens - and YES, THAT INCLUDES IMMIGRANTS.
     No matter what you may hear from your neighbors or people on TV or the radio, it is a fact that the information collected by the Census Bureau is completely confidential.

What is the census? Why is it important? Who gets counted?
Click here to learn more (yaeshora.info)

Click here for thecensusproject.org./

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    Participating in the census keeps us on our path toward greater political, social and economic empowerment.   
    Ensuring that everyone on your block and in your neighborhood is counted helps your community government work out public improvement strategies.
     Nonprofit organizations use census numbers to estimate the number of people they may serve in communities across the nation.
     The hundreds of billions of dollars in federal and state funds allocated each year mean important things to you -- school lunch programs, hospitals and highways.
 

     The Census is important to you and your community. Governments, businesses, and nonprofits all rely on Census data.  And its results affect a wide range of key policy decisions:

     Political representation. Census data determine the number of Congressional seats each state has. It is used to draw Congressional and state legislative district lines, and in some communities, it also decides city, county, and school board seats.
     Funding. It directly affects how more than $400 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation, and much more. For each uncounted Latino, more than $11,000 will be lost over the next decade.
     Civil rights. Census data are used to protect our civil rights such as enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.

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     Closing our eyes to immigrants doesn't make them go away.
     A wildly inaccurate census count hurts all of us because it forces government, business, and nonprofits to operate in the dark when planning such vital services as disaster relief, water and power, public health, education, fire and safety, and much more.
     Politically-motivated anti-immigrant attacks could have a devastating impact on the accuracy of Census 2010 if they gain any real traction.
     Every person who is counted helps bring in almost $2,000 in federal funds to their state every single year for ten years. Imagine what that adds up to when you include everyone?

Some Basic Facts on Census 2010 
 
     The Bureau will mail census forms in mid-March 2010 to all households.
     The form will take only about 10 minutes to complete.
     The Bureau will send out bilingual census forms in some areas. (In other areas, families will need to call an 800 number to request translation assistance.)
     Census takers will follow up with households that do not respond.
   
We need your help to ensure everyone is counted and all dollars are fairly distributed in 2010!

Why is the Census important?

Census data shapes the future of your community and defines your voice in Congress.

    Every year, the federal government distributes $400 billion in funds based on Census data.
     Census information helps determine where to build schools, roads, hospitals, child care centers, senior centers and other services that help our families.
     Businesses use the data to build supermarkets, shopping centers, new housing and other construction projects.
    Census data determine the allotment of the 435 Congressional House seats. States with larger increases in population gain more political representation.
    Census data determines key aspects of our civil rights laws.