Over the next two weeks, Revere Counts staff and volunteers will ramp up participation for the 2020 Census. Revere’s current response rate for the 2020 Census is 56.1%. The final self-response rate in the City of Revere was 62.7% in 2010. Dozens of critical social services, education, and infrastructure programs depend on census-guided federal grants. Accurate responses help direct billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities for schools, roads, and other public services.
Revere Counts staff and volunteers have been conducting outreach at the many food distribution programs across the City as well as scheduling enumerators at free COVID-19 testing sites. Limited face-to-face contact and residents’ safety concerns regarding door knocking has been a challenge for outreach.
Revere Counts recently awarded six mini-grants to local organizations and individuals to conduct 2020 Census outreach and increase response rates of Revere’s hard to count and undercounted populations. These mini-grants include:
American Muslim Center ($2,000) – to increase the count of the undercounted Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities by conducting outreach to the youth population to reach their parents and the adult population on the importance of being counted. Residents can specify what ethnicity they identify with by writing it on the form as there is currently no category for the MENA population.
Beachmont Improvement Committee ($5,000) – to increase the count of low- to moderate-income and culturally diverse resident who do not generally have a high percentage of response to the Census. BIC will set up Census completion stations at retail locations frequented by residents and provide incentives and giveaways to residents who complete the Census
Revere Beach Partnership ($3,000) – to conduct Census Outreach for hard to count communities at Revere Beach. The Partnership will be able to extend its Ambassador Program by an additional week and purchase custom masks that promote taking the census as well as distribute flyers and set up kiosks at a tent where people will be able to respond to the census.
Revere en Español ($5,000) – to increase the count of Revere’s Hispanic community through an aggressive and consistent online and media communications plan in Spanish including outreach events at scheduled community and city events.
The Neighborhood Developers ($5,000) – to conduct door to door outreach and phone calls to TND’s Revere properties and surrounding neighborhoods which have a high number of low-income households who are immigrants and non-English speakers, and who may be wary of the census.
Nyx Breen ($2,000) – to reach large hard to count and undercounted communities in Revere that live or utilize the city’s 3 MBTA Station locations including our Soofa Kiosks. This local photographer will use community based art as the medium to present information and for community interaction.
