DETROIT TODAY | JAKE NEHER
Michigan nonprofits are concerned not all Michiganders will be counted on the upcoming U.S. Census. Those organizations are teaming up to make sure groups such as immigrants, homeless people, and minority children are fully counted in 2020.
The 2020 Nonprofits Count Campaign says there’s a lot at stake for Michigan with this census.
“Many critical programs such as children’s programs, housing programs, Medicaid, Medicare…forty percent of the state’s budget comes as the result of census numbers,” notes Hassan Jaber, executive director of ACCESS and a co-chair of the campaign.
Jaber also points out Michigan could lose a congressional seat as a result of the 2020 census.
He says language barriers and confusion about the purpose of the census make it difficult to fully count immigrant communities.
Although these populations are always more difficult to count fully, campaign co-chair and Michigan Nonprofit Association President and CEO Donna Murray-Brown says the upcoming census presents new challenges.
“We have a citizenship question that’s being proposed to be on the census,” says Murray-Brown. ”We also have the idea around more online engagement that the federal government wants to do to be able to get a census count.”
The coalition is promoting these efforts at this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber.
Click the audio player above to hear the full conversation with Murray-Brown and Jaber.
Tune in live to Detroit Today all this week to hear continuing coverage from the Mackinac Policy Conference.