Kankakee, IL – Residents learned how they can do their part in the 2020 Census. A community briefing was held at the Kankakee Public Library with Congresswoman Robin Kelly. The census is a mandated count of the population in the United States that takes place every 10 years. The results impact the amount of representation in government, the amount of funding the State of Illinois receives and the resources that will be available to the City of Kankakee.
“People need to realize the importance of the census. If everyone is not counted, we are in jeopardy of losing a voice in Congress. We will lose representation on important committees and a large amount in federal funding including Medicaid, federal student loans, food stamps, as well as cuts in more than 100 critical programs across the state. All of this is based on the census,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
The United States Census Bureau has developed the Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM) application to identify areas that have a low response score.
“At this time, the City of Kankakee has home rule status as defined by the Illinois Compiled Statutes with a minimum population of 25,000 residents. It is important to note that as a home rule community, the City has the ability to exercise local control and implement solutions to address the challenges of the municipality. We need every resident and community stakeholder doing his/her part to make sure there is an accurate census count so that the City can continue to provide services and resources while maintaining authority to implement solutions that work for our municipality,” said Mayor Wells-Armstrong.
An invitation to participate in the census count will be sent to residents during mid-March. The 2020 Census will be accessible by responding online, by phone, in person or through a paper questionnaire. The United States Census Bureau is also hiring temporary employees to become census takers. For more information, visit www.census.gov
