City makes push for accurate census

Cincinnati also contains one of the most hard-to-count tracts in the country: Tract 16, which is made up of parts of Over the Rhine and the West End.

The census will be short-form only, which will be easier for residents to complete and return quickly. Bilingual forms will also be sent to help bridge the language gap.

Jason Riveiro, Ohio State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Ohio, said the bilingual forms arenot enough.

“Supervisors and enumerators must reflect the populations they are reaching,” he said.

Several witnesses agreed Census representatives from the population being counted would be able to relate to the people on a personal level, ensuring a more thorough count.

The Census Bureau will use insight from the witnesses’ testimonies, as well as assistance from organizations like the Cincinnati Complete Count Committee and the Census Bureau’s Service Based Enumation operation to ensure an accurate count for Cincinnati.

Local representatives of “hard-to-count” populations met Monday to discuss ways to prevent another census miscount — an inaccuracy that cost the city $104 million in the last decade.

Assuring everyone is counted will allow Cincinnati to secure efficient federal funding and improve the image of the city, said Mayor Mark Mallory. Also, the higher the population of homeless, disabled and impoverished individuals, the more funding the groups will be eligible to receive.

The hearing, called together by Rep. Steve Driehaus, took place at the University of Cincinnati’s Tangeman University Center.

“In 2006, the Census Bureau estimated Cincinnati’s population at 308,728 — a decrease of 6.8 percent since the last census,” Mallory said.

After challenging the estimate and conducting a statistical analysis, an additional 22,000 residents were added to the count, he said.

Six additional witnesses met at the hearing to testify their concerns with hard-to-count populations in Cincinnati. Thomas L. Mesenbourg, the U.S.

Census Bureau’s deputy director, and program directors representing various groups overlooked in the census count were also in attendance.

The city faces several challenges in obtaining correct numbers for the 2010 census due to recent foreclosures, as families might have been displaced from their homes.

Some Cincinnatians might have been forced to move to apartments or into residences with families or friends and others experiencing homelessness might be living in campgrounds, Mesenbourg said.

The Census Bureau possesses a Master Address File — a catalogue containing every housing unit in the country — and mails forms to each address on the list. If the forms are not sent back, census workers will contact the address up to six times to ensure a complete census form is obtained, Mesenbourg said.

Josh Spring, Greater Cincinnati Coalition For the Homeless executive director, has been conducting a regular count of the homeless population in the area, and will send members of his organization with census workers to collect an accurate count of individuals residing in homeless shelters, with friends and in outdoor camps.

Cincinnati also contains one of the most hard to count tracts in the country: Tract 16, which is made up of parts of Over-The-Rhine and the West End.

The census will be short-form only, which will be easier for residents to complete and return quickly. Bilingual forms will also be sent to help bridge the language gap.

Jason Riveiro, Ohio State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Ohio, said the bilingual forms are not enough.

“Supervisors and enumerators must reflect the populations they are reaching,” he said.
Several witnesses agreed that Census representatives from the population being would be able to relate to the population, ensuring a more thorough count.

The Census Bureau will use insight from the witnesses’ testimonies, as well as assistance from organizations like the Cincinnati Complete Count Committee and the Census Bureau’s Service Based Enumation operation to ensure an accurate count for Cincinnati.