Microblog #SE1
204 Words
You can help us — and everyone — by answering the 2020 Census.
As you probably know, the US Census is underway. You may not know that the US Constitution mandates a census, that the first one was completed in 1790 and that it has been repeated every 10 years since.
You may also not know just how important the census is to our work at HousingForward Virginia in helping our communities understand what’s happening with affordable housing and how critical it is to community vitality.
Much of the data that we regularly use to explain housing needs, trends and progress flows from the Census. The census also determines how and where billions of Federal dollars in housing assistance are spent — from CDBG and HOME to low income housing tax credits to housing vouchers and homeless assistance.
The vulnerable populations that we serve with our housing programs are often less likely to be counted. Please help get the word out through your networks that everyone needs to be counted.
In this time of stay-at-home orders and social distancing, the Census is easier than ever to respond to online. The fair and equitable distribution of housing assistance depends on it — as well as our ability to tell the story of affordable housing with clarity and accuracy.