Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Borough President
From March 5 through July 31, the Census Resource Assistance Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Borough Hall.
By Forum Staff
The 2020 Census Resource Assistance Center at Queens Borough Hall will open to the public beginning Thursday, March 5, offering residents the ability to access census outreach materials, ask questions of trained volunteers, and apply for 2020 Census-related jobs, Acting Borough President Sharon Lee announced Monday.
From March 5 through July 31, the Census Resource Assistance Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On hand to assist visitors to the center will be BP Office staff and trained volunteers from Lee’s Queens Complete Count Committee, a group of more than 100 community leaders and groups tasked with developing outreach strategies and maximizing participation in the 2020 Census, according to the borough president.
Borough Hall is located at 120-55 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens.
Electronic devices will be available at the center for residents to fill out the nine-question census form online upon its launch on March 12, while U.S. Census Bureau resources in more than a dozen languages will be available for visitors to take home and distribute to family, friends, and neighbors. No appointments are necessary and walk-ins are welcome at the center.
Lee also noted that her office continues to accept applications from not-for-profits interested in receiving state funding for Census outreach efforts in Queens. To complete the pre-qualifying application—a requirement prior to partnering with any county—followed by a Queens Get Out the Count application, visit queensbp.org/2020Census.
The census determines the borough’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as how much federal funding Queens receives for schools, roads and bridges, health services and more.
To prevent a repeat of the substantial undercounts in various Queens neighborhoods during the 2010 Census—which dubiously reported the borough’s population rose by only 1,300 people over the prior decade—then-Borough President Melinda Katz first hosted a Census Town Hall at Borough Hall in November 2018 to propel public discourse and engagement for the 2020 Census.
Additionally, Katz signed an amicus brief sent to the U.S. Supreme Court, along with nearly 200 other elected officials from around the country, opposing the federal government’s attempt to include a discriminatory citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
Lee pointed out that the controversial citizenship question will not be on the 2020 Census, following a decision by the Supreme Court last year to block such a question from being included. Documentation status will have no bearing on any resident’s ability to fully complete and submit a census questionnaire.
“It’s all hands on deck for the 2020 Census,” Lee added. “We must ensure every single Queens resident—of every age and regardless of documentation status—is counted. When we are not counted, we are rendered invisible and irrelevant for our fair share of federal representation and funding. An undercount is something the Borough of Families simply cannot afford. The future of our county, city, and state depend on a full and accurate 2020 Census count.”
