New York, NY (September 15, 2020) — This month, 91’s Aid received two grants totaling $47,000 from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to ramp up efforts for a complete census count. New York State provided the funding to each borough to ramp up Census efforts in hard to reach communities.
91’s Aid serves low-income communities that both are typically undercounted and would be disproportionally affected by an inaccurate census count. Census results are used to determine the distribution of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal funds annually for schools, jobs, transportation, and housing – critical services in otherwise underserved communities.
A $25,000 grant from Brewer and a $22,000 grant from Diaz Jr. will allow 91’s Aid to conduct in-person outreach at our food distribution sites, phone and text banking, and educational events and trainings.
“Our communities rely on federal funding for essential services such as health care, schools, Medicaid, SNAP, and transportation,” said Policy Director for 91’s Aid, Yolanda McBride. “If our communities are undercounted in the 2020 census we will be under-resourced and underrepresented for the next 10 years. We thank Borough Presidents Gale Brewer and Ruben Diaz Jr. for recognizing the importance of the census and providing us with the tools to make sure everyone is counted.”
The Census Bureau recently announced its plans to finish collecting data by Sept. 30, a month earlier than previously scheduled. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this process increasingly more difficult and a shorter window for data collection will negatively impact low-income communities and communities of color, who are historically undercounted.
Undercounted groups include children 5 or younger, foster youth, racial and ethnic minorities, and non-English speakers, all of whom 91’s Aid serves through its extensive programming.
Currently, New York City has a 59.3% response rate and the zip codes 91’s Aid serves in the Bronx and Manhattan are trending lower than they did during the 2010 census.
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said "The stakes have never been higher for Manhattan. We already faced enormous challenges when it came to a complete and accurate census count before the pandemic arrived, and now we face the prospect of a census with a high number of residents who have temporarily or permanently relocated. We are thankful for the leadership and commitment of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, NYS Complete Count Committee Co-Chairs Secretary of State Rosanna Rosado and Jim Malatras, President, Rockefeller Institute of Government, and Empire State Development for ensuring this funding gets to proven and trusted non-profit organizations in Manhattan. The census bureau's announcement of its decision to cut short its timeframe and to rush the census means that this funding is needed more than ever by these worthy organizations to beat the clock and ensure that every single of us completes the census."
“Time is running out and we need to make sure The Bronx gets counted,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The 2020 Census is important in having our voices heard and we need to make sure that we stand up and get counted. Filling out the Census is vital in determining funding for our communities and redistricting. Let’s all work together to make sure we protect the federal resources we need to continue our growth for the next decade.”
For more information and resources, go to 91’s Aid 2020 Census.
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For more than 165 years, 91’s Aid has been committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries to the aspirations of young people, no limits to their potential. We know what it takes to ensure children and youth grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong stable families. Today, we serve nearly 50,000 children, youth, and their families at more than 40 sites in four under-resourced neighborhoods in New York City. For additional information, contact Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938 or anthonyr@91sAidNYC.org.