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City and County launch 2010 Census San Antonio
campaign
 The City of San Antonio and Bexar County officially launched the
2010 Census San Antonio campaign this week. In four months, more
than 600,000 households in the area will receive the 2010 Census
form by mail.
Getting a complete count of all people living in the city and county
ensures a portion of $400 billion in federal funding will go
directly to local community programs, healthcare, schools and
infrastructure. In addition, re-districting for City Council
districts, school districts and the state legislature is determined
by data collected from the United States Census.
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"It is rare when something so simple as filling out a form can have
such a profound impact on our community," said Mayor Julian Castro
(pictured right).
"An accurate count of our population will affect funding for a wide
spectrum of public programs for the next decade," he added.
"Every San Antonio resident can help create a better future for our
city by participating in the 2010 Census," said City Manager Sheryl
Sculley. "By each of us completing the census form, we can ensure
that our community will get its share of vital funding for essential
local services."
The 2010 Census will be bilingual, offering a double-sided English
and Spanish version, which, for the first time, will be mailed
directly to Spanish-dominant neighborhoods identified by the Census
Bureau. In addition, it will be the shortest Census questionnaire in
history, with 10 questions that should take approximately 10 minutes
to complete. "Helping Bexar County secure the federal funding it
needs couldn't be any easier than this because every resident will
receive the same short-form questionnaire," said County Judge Nelson
Wolff. "It takes less than 10 minutes and it's easy and
confidential. And it is absolutely critical that every resident is
counted," he added.
Archbishop Jose Gomez urged historically underrepresented groups,
such as the homeless, Spanish-speaking, economically disadvantaged
and non US citizens, to complete the Census form. Obtaining funding
for healthcare and other services used by these hard-to-reach
populations will directly add to their quality of life. In addition,
Archbishop Gomez underscored the confidentiality of the data
collected on the Census form, ensuring that it is unlawful to report
the information to other government agencies, including Immigration
and Customs Enforcement. "I encourage each individual to be assured
that the information gathered through the Census will remain
confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share your answers
with anyone," he said.
In order to successfully obtain a complete count of everyone living
in the area, the Census Bureau established partnerships with local
governments called Complete Count Committees. These committees,
appointed by City Council and Bexar County Commissioners, are made
up of civic, business and non-profit individuals to help generate
awareness at the grass roots level.
The Complete Count Committee began mobilizing the effort by
participating in a variety of community fairs since September.
Partnerships with school districts, faith-based organizations and
others will help ensure a complete count for San Antonio and Bexar
County.
Ten years ago, San Antonio and Bexar County obtained a 68 percent
mail-back response rate, surpassing the national response rate of 67
percent, ranking number three among major cities. It also surpassed
the state response rate of 64 percent.
For more information on the 2010 Census San Antonio campaign, visit
www.sanantonio.gov/census.
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