January - March 2020

The U.S. Census will begin in March 2020. For the first time, the census questionnaire can be completed online. Most U.S. households will receive a mailed invitation to go online and complete the census. Only households that fail to complete the census online will receive a paper questionnaire in early April. The questionnaire is brief—about 8-9 simple questions for each person living in your household. If you don’t have a computer in your home or if you feel you’d like some assistance, help will be available around Erie County at places like public libraries, the Senior Center, or Serving Our Seniors. The schedule and locations have not yet been released, so call for more information in March or April. The questionnaire includes questions such as how many people are living or staying in the household? Do you own your home or does someone in the household own the home with a mortgage or loan? What is your phone number? What is your sex, age, date of birth. and race? If you live alone, these will be the only questions asked. If others live in your home, you will answer the same questions for each person in your household. What won’t be asked? The Census Bureau will never ask for Social Security numbers, bank or credit card numbers, money or donations, or anything related to political parties. Your responses to the 2020 Census are safe, secure, and protected by federal law. Your information cannot be used against you by any government agency or court in any way—not by the FBI, not by the CIA, not by the DHS, and not by ICE. The U.S. Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. The answers you provide are used only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify you or anyone else in your home. US Census 2020: Why Your Data Matters Your data is used in many important ways to benefit your community: • Your responses are used to redraw legislative districts and determine the number of seats Ohio has in the U.S. House of Representatives. • The census can impact Erie County’s financial future. Census data helps determines how nearly $600 billion in federal funding flows into states and communities each year. • The top five programs that use census data to determine funding distributions are Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP—food stamps), Medicare Part B, Highway Planning and Construction, and the Federal Pell Grant program (college financial aid). • Additional funds are allocated for schools, hospitals and clinics, and fire departments— from potholes to health insurance to education, the census data is used in ways that significantly impacts our community. Please complete your questionnaire and make your voice count. Call the Serving Our Seniors office at 419-624-1856 if you need assistance in completing your questionnaire. 19