With census deadline looming, Houston-area labor and community groups launch multilingual outreach
With the census count set to end in less than six weeks, the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF) and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) have joined with community allies in a multilingual get-out-the-census effort to reach Houston-area immigrant and working class communities.
During the kickoff on Friday, August 21st, bilingual volunteers made nearly 1,000 calls to area residents in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, and Tagalog, and organizers say they plan to continue outreach through the September 30 response deadline recently set by the Census Bureau.
“Less than 60% of residents in Harris County have been counted in the Census so far, and the count is lowest in our immigrant community. This count decides where federal funding will go for the next 10 years, and impacts every aspect of our lives. We need to do all we can to ensure that all of our friends, family, and neighbors get counted.”
Mai Ton, APALA Civic Engagement Fellow and lead organizer
With the pandemic and shortened Census enumeration period, outreach to working class and immigrant communities has never been more pressing. Many advocates have argued that the Trump administration’s recent moves are likely to lead to an undercount that will limit resources specifically for immigrant communities.
“A census undercount will impact people in our community who can little afford it, people who need food assistance, or housing assistance, and we all have a responsilbity to do all we can to ensure all of our neighbors are counted.”
Jay Malone, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
Representatives from the offices of Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia and District F Councilmember Tiffany Thomas also participated in the census outreach phonebank. District F and Precinct 2 have large immigrant populations, and Thomas stressed the importance of ongoing Census outreach to immigrant communities.
“District F is rich with diversity. Regardless of how you got here it is of paramount importance that we have a complete and accurate Census count. When you respond, you will help ensure that your community gets its fair share of the $675 million in federal funding that goes towards schools, hospitals, roads, and housing. Filling out the Census also aids in community development, as businesses utilize Census data to decide where to build their next factories, offices, and shopping centers, creating new jobs.”
Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas
