Your Neighborhood and the 2010 Census

By now you have probably received a census form in the mail. You may have even completed it and mailed it back.

Why is the census important?

Counting everyone is essential to obtaining our fair share of local, state and federal funding as well as allocating those funds to critical programs. Please read the letter below from Mayor Julian Castro and Judge Nelson Wolff.

What happens next?

From May through July, Census workers may be knocking on the doors of those who have not responded by mailing in the census form they received in the mail.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice: If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.

Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census. A census form, consisting of ten questions, will be mailed to every household in March. If the form is completed and mailed back to the Census Bureau by April 1, there should not be a further Census contact.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org.

For more information on the census, visit 2010.census.gov.

Please encourage your neighbors to return their census forms.

Feel free to share this information with your neighborhood association, at meetings, in your newsletter or on your website to help get the word out.