Census Readiness Counts

These are the days when the census takers are cashing in on the goodwill created months ago in Orange County. Their attempt to draw a local portrait is required by law, but it is not always easy.

For most of the county, the decennial census is but a memory, an eight-question piece of paper received, answered and returned. But for those who neglected it, inadvertently or purposely, the in-person visits continue.

Although some enumerators found it difficult to get information from residents in gated communities, the toughest challenge came in the special category of “group quarters.”

Group quarters refers to facilities where people are getting oversight or care, including domestic violence shelters, drug treatment facilities and motels that take vouchers to house those who otherwise would be living on the streets.

In Anaheim recently a Times reporter joined enumerators who were frustrated in their attempts to count residents of a long-term motel. Only days later were

the counters able to return and with cooperation from the motel manager get a better tally of the several hundred people living there.

After the last census was taken 10 years ago, Anaheim estimated it lost out on more than $1 million, most of it in community development block grants and job-training money, because it was credited with too few people. There can be a number of reasons for a short count, but a major one is missing the homeless.

For the count this time, Census Bureau workers undertook scouting operations late last year for a preliminary look at the group quarters visits that would be needed. For the first few months of this year, supervisors met with organizations that help the homeless, victims of domestic violence and those in long-term care facilities. The visitors explained how the count would be done and why it was needed. They dropped off information packets, answered questions and determined dates to return for an actual head count.

It was a good way to set up operations, and Census Bureau officials say that for the most part it worked well. For instance, when the tallying force visited a Costa Mesa soup kitchen several months ago, it was not too difficult to overcome initial hostility from a minority of clients. Eventually, the names, ages and other data were taken down.

When the writers of the Constitution required a census, the purpose was to determine how many members of the House of Representatives would be given to each state. That still holds true, but the other main result of the census now is the spending of nearly $2 trillion in federal funds.

Although most households received the short form in the mail, about 20 million across the country received the long census form.

This one had 53 questions, including queries about salaries, indoor toilets and the kitchen sink--if it had piped water. There were complaints about what some recipients saw as intrusive questions, a perennial concern. But Congress approved the questions last year and the federal government has been asking people about their occupations and education for more than a century.

For locations such as Orange County, census results can provide important evidence that funds for housing and transportation are warranted.

The Census Bureau hired nearly 4,000 workers for offices it opened in several communities in the county to help with the tally. It networked with the local offices of federal agencies to extend its outreach. But it took pains to insist that all replies it receives are confidential, not shared with agencies like the Internal Revenue Service or the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Census officials estimated that more than 50,000 county residents were missed 10 years ago. Many were believed to be Latino, hurting cities such as Anaheim and Santa Ana. Officials believe this year’s count will be better, in large part because of the laudable groundwork done months ago and cooperation received from Orange County organizations.