Sen. Brown Encourages Ohioans to be Counted at Cleveland Rally on 2010 Census Brown Releases Analysis Showing How Much Federal Funding Ohio Could Lose Under Different Census Count Scenarios
BigNews.Biz - Mar 09,2010 - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) participated in the "Non-Profits Count!" rally in Cleveland on Monday. Sponsored by the Cleveland Foodbank, Greater Cleveland United Way, and Neighborhood Connections, the rally sought to raise awareness about the importance of all Ohioans being counted in the 2010 decennial census.
"In Cuyahoga County, if there is just a two percent undercount of the county's population, more than $300 million could be lost over ten years," Brown said at today's rally. "The Census determines the future of our state. It determines the resources, services, and funding we'll have available to ensure our children grow up with the education and medical care they need. It determines the funding we'll have to keep our communities safe and ensure our small businesses can grow."
Martin J. Sweeney, Cleveland City Council President; Anne Campbell Goodman, President and CEO of the Cleveland Foodbank; and Tom O'Brien, Executive Director of Neighborhood Connections also attended today's rally.The 2010 census will determine the amount of state and federal funding communities receive for the next decade. More than $400 billion each year is allocated to states based on census data. The Brookings Institution estimates that for every 100 people not counted, Ohio could lose approximately $1.2 million over the next decade. In addition to funding, Ohio could lose as many as two Congressional seats.
Brown released a county-by-county estimate showing how much funding is at stake under different census count scenarios. Census counts determine funding for education, community development, transportation, workforce development, economic development, food banks, home heating assistance, and many other critical programs.
The "Non-Profits Count!" rally was organized by the You Can Count on Me Ohio Campaign, a cooperative effort launched by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), Ohio Citizen Action Education Fund, and the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network. The consortium emphas a complete census count, specifically in areas with the highest-concentration of "hard-to-count" census tracts: Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Hard-to-count census tracts share some demographic indicators such as poverty, unemployment, complex household arrangements, and high mobility. These Ohioans depend and benefit most from the kind of resources and services whose funding is apportioned by the census, like public transportation, mental health services and community development grants.
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