An editorial from the Sun Herald...
Following the 2000 Census, South Mississippi gained a seat in the state House of Representatives: District 95, which meanders north from Diamondhead in Hancock County to East Saucier in Harrison County, where it plunges south through Orange Grove, shoots east into the Bel Aire precincts of Gulfport and finally bottoms out south of Interstate 10 just outside of Long Beach.
Even though the area is represented by Jessica Upshaw, a Republican from Diamondhead, South Mississippi legislators of both parties are concerned about the chances of the district staying in South Mississippi during the redistricting process that will follow the 2010 Census.
Population estimates show roughly as many people live in the six southernmost counties now as did 10 years ago. But the numbers have shifted. In the north, George, Pearl River and Stone counties have gained population, while in the south, Hancock and Harrison counties have lost population. Jackson County is about where it was.
Next year, those estimates will be turned into hard numbers. It is vital that each South Mississippian is counted, so that all will be properly represented at the Capitol.
Showing posts with label Gulf Coast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulf Coast. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Special Gulf Coast Census eyed...
From today's Clarion Ledger:
WASHINGTON - It would only be "fair" for the federal government to conduct a special census in the Gulf Coast to count displaced residents who return to the region after the 2010 census, according to the head of the Census Bureau.
The question is: Who would pay for it?
"The fair thing to do for the country is to do another count of that area later on," Robert Groves said in an interview. He said Gulf Coast communities are still working to help residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed to return.
"They're rebuilding. They want more people there. People are coming back."
Census officials, local governments and community groups have raised concerns that the 2010 census count won't include all Gulf Coast residents, particularly those who haven't yet returned after the 2005 hurricanes. Every 10 years, the Census Bureau conducts a constitutionally-required count of residents living in the United States. Residents must be counted where they live on April 1, so displaced Gulf Coast residents will be counted wherever they are living on that day.
Much is at stake for Gulf Coast communities. Census data are used to distribute $400 billion in federal funds and determine the number of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives.
Community activists in the Gulf Coast and national civil rights groups are calling for a special census.
"If they haven't made it home by now, they won't be able to take advantage of their recovery dollars," said Trupania Bonner, executive director of Moving Forward Gulf Coast, a community group helping residents in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Groves said the agency has conducted more than 300 special censuses since the last major count in 2000. Many were for communities that had population growth or annexations and were looking for more federal funding, said Pat Paytas, a program analyst at the Census Bureau.
Groves said the bureau could return to the Gulf Coast for a special census if local governments or the state request a count.
But the cost of a special census must be reimbursed and it is unknown whether state or local governments in the Gulf Coast would be willing and able to pay for it.
"If the Census Bureau can get behind doing an interim count of the Gulf Coast region between the 2010 and 2020 census, then that would be a terrific way to be able to gauge how the region is growing," said Audrey Singer, a census expert at the Brookings Institution. "However, the cost and the politics of doing such a count may prevent it from happening."
Groves said he doesn't know how much a special census for the Gulf Coast would cost.
"I'm not saying it's cheap, but somehow other areas have gotten the political will to assemble the money," Groves said. "It is a matter of will."
Groves said the governments could seek federal or private funding.
Marc Morial, chairman of the Census Bureau's 2010 Census Advisory Committee and president of the National Urban League, said Congress could include the cost of the special census in the 2011 budget.
But congressional lawmakers, including Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the Census Bureau, have raised concerns about the cost.
Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, said the count is important to help communities get federal funds to rebuild. "It's something they should do quickly - 2011 at the latest," he said.
But Paytas said the earliest there could be a special count would be 2012.
The Census Bureau is aware of the challenges of doing the 2010 count in Gulf Coast states and is planning to take steps to address the concerns, including going door-to-door in some parts of the region to make sure hundreds of thousands of residents get questionnaires.
WASHINGTON - It would only be "fair" for the federal government to conduct a special census in the Gulf Coast to count displaced residents who return to the region after the 2010 census, according to the head of the Census Bureau.
The question is: Who would pay for it?
"The fair thing to do for the country is to do another count of that area later on," Robert Groves said in an interview. He said Gulf Coast communities are still working to help residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed to return.
"They're rebuilding. They want more people there. People are coming back."
Census officials, local governments and community groups have raised concerns that the 2010 census count won't include all Gulf Coast residents, particularly those who haven't yet returned after the 2005 hurricanes. Every 10 years, the Census Bureau conducts a constitutionally-required count of residents living in the United States. Residents must be counted where they live on April 1, so displaced Gulf Coast residents will be counted wherever they are living on that day.
Much is at stake for Gulf Coast communities. Census data are used to distribute $400 billion in federal funds and determine the number of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives.
Community activists in the Gulf Coast and national civil rights groups are calling for a special census.
"If they haven't made it home by now, they won't be able to take advantage of their recovery dollars," said Trupania Bonner, executive director of Moving Forward Gulf Coast, a community group helping residents in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Groves said the agency has conducted more than 300 special censuses since the last major count in 2000. Many were for communities that had population growth or annexations and were looking for more federal funding, said Pat Paytas, a program analyst at the Census Bureau.
Groves said the bureau could return to the Gulf Coast for a special census if local governments or the state request a count.
But the cost of a special census must be reimbursed and it is unknown whether state or local governments in the Gulf Coast would be willing and able to pay for it.
"If the Census Bureau can get behind doing an interim count of the Gulf Coast region between the 2010 and 2020 census, then that would be a terrific way to be able to gauge how the region is growing," said Audrey Singer, a census expert at the Brookings Institution. "However, the cost and the politics of doing such a count may prevent it from happening."
Groves said he doesn't know how much a special census for the Gulf Coast would cost.
"I'm not saying it's cheap, but somehow other areas have gotten the political will to assemble the money," Groves said. "It is a matter of will."
Groves said the governments could seek federal or private funding.
Marc Morial, chairman of the Census Bureau's 2010 Census Advisory Committee and president of the National Urban League, said Congress could include the cost of the special census in the 2011 budget.
But congressional lawmakers, including Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the Census Bureau, have raised concerns about the cost.
Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, said the count is important to help communities get federal funds to rebuild. "It's something they should do quickly - 2011 at the latest," he said.
But Paytas said the earliest there could be a special count would be 2012.
The Census Bureau is aware of the challenges of doing the 2010 count in Gulf Coast states and is planning to take steps to address the concerns, including going door-to-door in some parts of the region to make sure hundreds of thousands of residents get questionnaires.
Monday, October 5, 2009
CL: Census Bureau faces challenge with Gulf Coast count, plans special effort for accuracy
U.S. census plans special effort for the Gulf Coast - even four years later, Katrina's effects still felt
WASHINGTON — Harold Toussaint evacuated first to Tennessee, then to Georgia, then to New York City after Hurricane Katrina left his rental house in New Orleans under 5 feet of water in 2005.
Like other hurricane victims, Toussaint says he plans to return soon to New Orleans. And that's where he wants the 2010 U.S. census to count him.
"It's our home," said Toussaint, 59, who has lived in Harlem for two years. "We want to be recognized as New Orleanians. It just breaks our hearts to be deprived of it and our connection."
Which city Toussaint calls home next April is at the heart of a debate over how displaced Gulf Coast residents should be counted in the 2010 census, less than six months away.
Much is at stake for communities devastated by the hurricanes and those in other states where thousands of storm victims fled. The census conducts a major population count every 10 years in addition to other, smaller counts, and results determine congressional seats and federal funding for such things as free school lunches and highway projects.
Next year, in an effort to better count Gulf Coast residents, census officials will hand-deliver more than 300,000 questionnaires to areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas that suffered heavy hurricane damage. The questionnaires will be mailed to people in the rest of the country.
"We're going to every address and dropping off the questionnaire because, quite reasonably, the residents there are saying, 'Well, the addresses where people were living ... are not going to be there,' " Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said.
WASHINGTON — Harold Toussaint evacuated first to Tennessee, then to Georgia, then to New York City after Hurricane Katrina left his rental house in New Orleans under 5 feet of water in 2005.
Like other hurricane victims, Toussaint says he plans to return soon to New Orleans. And that's where he wants the 2010 U.S. census to count him.
"It's our home," said Toussaint, 59, who has lived in Harlem for two years. "We want to be recognized as New Orleanians. It just breaks our hearts to be deprived of it and our connection."
Which city Toussaint calls home next April is at the heart of a debate over how displaced Gulf Coast residents should be counted in the 2010 census, less than six months away.
Much is at stake for communities devastated by the hurricanes and those in other states where thousands of storm victims fled. The census conducts a major population count every 10 years in addition to other, smaller counts, and results determine congressional seats and federal funding for such things as free school lunches and highway projects.
Next year, in an effort to better count Gulf Coast residents, census officials will hand-deliver more than 300,000 questionnaires to areas in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas that suffered heavy hurricane damage. The questionnaires will be mailed to people in the rest of the country.
"We're going to every address and dropping off the questionnaire because, quite reasonably, the residents there are saying, 'Well, the addresses where people were living ... are not going to be there,' " Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Group seeks special census for Gulf Coast region
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A national civil rights coalition wants Congress to authorize a special census for certain Gulf Coast communities that will be recovering from Hurricane Katrina when the traditional Census is taken next year.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights notes that people are still returning to the region and that federal recovery aid is still flowing four years after Katrina.
The group in a report Monday urges Congress to evaluate the status of Gulf Coast recovery after the 2010 Census to see which communities should be included in a special census in 2012 or 2013.
The group says a special census would allow for any big population shifts to be reflected in the allocation of funds for certain state and federal programs that use Census data.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights notes that people are still returning to the region and that federal recovery aid is still flowing four years after Katrina.
The group in a report Monday urges Congress to evaluate the status of Gulf Coast recovery after the 2010 Census to see which communities should be included in a special census in 2012 or 2013.
The group says a special census would allow for any big population shifts to be reflected in the allocation of funds for certain state and federal programs that use Census data.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sun Herald: Census workers needed
The Census Bureau hopes to hire about 75,000 people across the Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana region for the upcoming 2010 Census. If you need a job, the Census might be the perfect opportunity for you!
From the story...
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to hire thousands of people in South Mississippi in the next 18 months to help prepare for and distribute the 2010 census, a move that could pump some money into the local economy, at least temporarily.
The bureau hopes to hire 75,000 people in Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana and the jobs will last from six to 18 months, depending on the type of job, said Traycee Scott-Williams, a partnership specialist with the Census Bureau.
The government group is taking applications for 200 to 300 workers in 11 South Mississippi counties: Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, George, Greene, Perry, Forrest, Lamar and Marion.
“Right now we’re hiring people to staff the offices we’re opening, as well as people to canvas addresses,” said Kat Smith, a media specialist in the Dallas regional office of the bureau, adding the average rate of pay for this area will be $14.50 an hour.
“That will vary according to the position,” Smith said, “but people can work as much or as little as they like.
“We’re encouraging college students to apply, as well as anyone who doesn’t have a job or anyone who wants to make some extra money.”
From the story...
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to hire thousands of people in South Mississippi in the next 18 months to help prepare for and distribute the 2010 census, a move that could pump some money into the local economy, at least temporarily.
The bureau hopes to hire 75,000 people in Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana and the jobs will last from six to 18 months, depending on the type of job, said Traycee Scott-Williams, a partnership specialist with the Census Bureau.
The government group is taking applications for 200 to 300 workers in 11 South Mississippi counties: Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, George, Greene, Perry, Forrest, Lamar and Marion.
“Right now we’re hiring people to staff the offices we’re opening, as well as people to canvas addresses,” said Kat Smith, a media specialist in the Dallas regional office of the bureau, adding the average rate of pay for this area will be $14.50 an hour.
“That will vary according to the position,” Smith said, “but people can work as much or as little as they like.
“We’re encouraging college students to apply, as well as anyone who doesn’t have a job or anyone who wants to make some extra money.”
Illegal immigrants will be included in census count, reports the Mississippi Press
Cherie Ward with the Mississippi Press has an article regarding who will be included in the Census count...
A little excerpt:
As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares for a nationwide 2010 headcount, one representative said that the number would include people who aren't citizens, even illegal immigrants.
"We don't count residents, we count people and they don't have to be legal," Traycee Scott Williams said.
Williams is asking local officials for help in making sure that the tally includes everyone in Jackson County. The next census begins April 1, 2010.
"We want to count every person, one time and where they are living," she said. "We do not ask about legal status, temporary status, or anything. We're just counting everybody, where they sleep."
The census must be conducted every 10 years, as required by the Constitution.
The 2000 census recorded 18.5 million who weren't citizens, including about 7 million illegals, according to its Web site.
A little excerpt:
As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares for a nationwide 2010 headcount, one representative said that the number would include people who aren't citizens, even illegal immigrants.
"We don't count residents, we count people and they don't have to be legal," Traycee Scott Williams said.
Williams is asking local officials for help in making sure that the tally includes everyone in Jackson County. The next census begins April 1, 2010.
"We want to count every person, one time and where they are living," she said. "We do not ask about legal status, temporary status, or anything. We're just counting everybody, where they sleep."
The census must be conducted every 10 years, as required by the Constitution.
The 2000 census recorded 18.5 million who weren't citizens, including about 7 million illegals, according to its Web site.
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