February 6, 2020
Welcome to this weeks installment of our Aging Network 2020 Census Newsletter. In this email, you'll find links to our most recent webinars, tips for your 2020 Census outreach and other information. We are adding to our webpage, so be sure to bookmark: ageoptions.org/gallery/2020Census/

We will be sending emails like this to keep you connected to our outreach efforts. Please use these resources and reach out to us for support.
Resources

Working with Libraries and Census Scams (2/4)

For these resources and more, visit our Aging Network 2020 Census Resource webpage: http://ageoptions.org/gallery/2020Census/
Upcoming Webinars
CLICK ON THE TITLE TO REGISTER!!!!

February 11 , 2020 1-2pm CST

February 18th, 2020 1-2:30 CST

We are planning to host webinars every Tuesday at 1 pm CST, so stay tuned for topics and registration!
Why Is the Census Important to Illinois and Your Community

We learned on this week's webinar that libraries across the state of Illinois have been asked to participate in census work. The Illinois Library Association (ILA) has formally asked all Illinois libraries to assist with Census as much as possible. Libraries are a trusted partner in our communities and they can have a big impact and play an important role for having members of the community complete the census. This data collected from the census gives the local library data about the demographics that they serve, and they can to better know their communities.

We are excited to share this short Scam video with you all.
Please click on the below picture to watch:
Is it the Census...or Is It a Scam?
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Helpful Tips

In this weeks webinar we talked about working with libraries to complete census outreach work.
  • They have robust programming that reaches a variety of library patrons and members of the community
  • They are equipped with technology
  • Look on your local library's website to see what they are doing for Census and reach out to offer how you can help each other.

Jason Echols covered scams and the Census, he reviewed important scam information which can be reviewed in the slides and listed to in the recording. A couple of the many importnat tips he covered are:
  • The US Census will NOT email you the Census
  • Mail from the Census Bureau about the 2020 Census will have a return address from Jeffersonville, IN.



FAQ's

AgeOptions is maintaining a list of question & answers about the 2020 Census you can view here. We feature select questions here. to see the full list click here , and if you have a question, submit it with this form .



1) If I currently receive SNAP benefits, can I apply for a 2020 Census job without impacting my benefits?
  • Yes, the Illinois Department of Human Services filed emergency and permanent rules that will allow people to earn income from a temporary census employment without adversely affecting benefits like SNAP, TANF and child care. http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=119158 
  •   While Illinois filed for this waiver, this is a state-specific decision. On this page of FAQs about Census Jobs, you can see Illinois and other states that currently have a SNAP waiver in place to exclude earned income from temporary employment for 2020 Census here: https://2020census.gov/en/jobs/faqs.html

2) If I do not speak English, how can I request a Spanish mailing, invitation, and a paper questionnaire from the Census Bureau? 
  • The Census Bureau will send bilingual (English/Spanish) invitations to all households located in certain census tracts with a high percentage of Spanish speaking people, and select areas will also receive an English/Spanish bilingual questionnaire along with the invitation. The invitation will include instructions in Spanish on how to respond in Spanish online or by phone using a direct toll-free line. 
  • All households in these certain census tracts that have not yet responded to the census invitation by mid-April will receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) paper questionnaire.
  • Beginning in mid-May census takers (enumerators) will go door-to-door to collect information from households that have not yet responded. The Census Bureau is hiring locally to ensure census takers are available who speak Spanish. If a census taker visits a household who doesn’t speak Spanish, the household may request a return visit from a Spanish-speaking census taker.
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