The U.S. Constitution requires the Census to count every individual living in the United States every ten years.
The count determines how federal funding is allotted to state, cities, and communities across the country for their schools, parks, roads, transportation, and other public services.
For decades, immigrants have been undercounted in the Census, and as a result have missed out on much needed funding for their communities.
This is why CIANA has joined New York City's largest concerted effort to get a compete count in the 2020 Census.
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Immigrants and the Census
Immigrant communities across the U.S. are often undercounted in the Census, and as a result, miss out on the benefits the Census provides.
With COVID-19 having economically impacted immigrant communities across the country, and revealing inadequate medical facilities and staffing, it's more important than ever for immigrants to participate in the Census.
The Census is completely safe for immigrants. It does NOT ask about citizenship status, it CANNOT be shared with ICE or other immigration agency, and will NOT be made public.
What We're Doing
Our belief is that the best way to get the whole community counted is by speaking directly to the community, whether it's our clients, families, or the broader Astoria community.
Since fear and distrust of government is often why many Americans- including new Americans- don't fill out the Census, we want to dispel any myths surrounding the Census, such as that immigration officials like ICE can access Census info.
We're committed to informing everyone in the community about the benefits of the Census, and assuring them of its safety and confidentiality. We're doing this is a culturally competent manner, utilizing some of Astoria's most commonly spoken languages, namely Arabic, Spanish, and Bangla.
Thanks to an award given to us by the Complete Count Fund, CIANA has been able to put our goals into action.
So far, our dedicated outreach team has:
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Hosted a Census Teach-In on February 11 during our adult ESL class with guests from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs
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Participated in Text Out the Count on March 23 to inform Astoria residents about the Census
Set up a Pop-up Center in our office with Census information in Spanish, Arabic, and Bangla
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Visited schools and local businesses to spread the word about the upcoming Census
Trained our clients to be Census Ambassadors and spread the word to their communities in their native languages
Complete the Census
By simply completing the 2020 Census, you're helping ensure that your community will receive the funding and representation it needs for the next decade.
It's never been easier to complete the Census. Complete it by phone, mail, or online for the first time ever at my2020census.gov.
If you have completed the Census, let us know at bit.ly.com/cianacomplete!
Spread the word on social media using the hashtags #Census2020, #GetCountedNYC and #ImmigrantsCount.
It takes 10 minutes to answer 10 questions that will determine the next 10 years.
Multilingual Materials
Queens Counts
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English
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Spanish/Español
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Arabic
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Bangla
Astoria Counts
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English
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Spanish/Español
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Arabic
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Bangla
