National Launch Of Census Awareness Campaign Targeting Hard-to-Count Communities

Yes We Count - Right to the City Coalition

The Right to the City Coalition in NYC is hitting the streets to reach undercounted and underrepresented communities in all five boroughs and surrounding suburbs

WHAT:

Saturday, March 20th Right to the City Alliance will launch its national Yes We Count awareness campaign. Yes We Count is a community-based census campaign to increase awareness of the importance of the 2010 Census in communities that are usually undercounted. As part of a national effort, organizations will target immigrants and communities of color through a neighborhood outreach effort with the goal of reaching over 600,000 households in California, New York, Florida, and Virginia. In New York City, six dynamic groups will work collectively to increase participation in hard to count areas. These groups are: CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, Community Voices Heard, Domestic Workers United, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, Make the Road New York, and New York AIDS Housing Network.

Yes We Count is the largest canvassing effort in New York City, where community groups will be knocking on doors and reaching out to the public at town hall meetings, in public parks and at subway stations. The campaign will be deploying hundreds of outreach workers and volunteers into hard to count neighborhoods with pledge cards and maps, asking residents to pledge to fill out and return their Census forms.

WHO, WHEN, WHERE:

Events on March 20th, 2010

Organizing Asian Communities, CAAAV
Day of canvassing to reach out to Asian communities.
Time: 12pm Location: Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Contact Helena Wong, 917-270-0322

Community Voices Heard, CVH:
Day of outreach with students and members in Section 8 and Public Housing.
Time: 10-2pm, Location: East Harlem and Yonkers
Contact: Henry Serrano, 212-860-6001

New York AIDS Housing Network, NYCAHN:
Two-hour training on the policies and the impact of the 2010 census count with contacts made during census outreach.
Time 12-2pm, Location: NY Harm Reduction Educators, 953 Southern BLVD #302, Bronx
Contact: Jeremy Saunders, 917-676-8041

Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, FUREE:
Day of outreach with canvassers and volunteers.
Time: 12pm, Location: Lafayette Gardens (190 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn)
Contact: John Tyus, 347-792-0558

Events on March 25th, 2010

Domestic Workers United (DWU)
Outreach and canvassing to reach out to domestic workers.
Time: 10am-1pm, Location: West Village
Contact Jackie Amezquita, 347-249-7377

Events on March 27th and 28th, 2010

Make the Road New York, MTRNY:
Weekend of canvassing and outreach with members.
Time: 10am - 5pm, Locations: Port Richmond, Staten Island; Jackson Heights, Queens; Bushwick, Brooklyn
Contact: Ana Maria Archila, 917-330-5337

###

www.maketheroadny.org

Contact: Anne Toomey 202-725-4741 (English and Spanish)