Aditi Srivastav Bussells, Ph.D, the director of research for Children’s Trust, currently serves as a mayor-appointed member of the city of Columbia’s Complete Count Committee. The 24-person committee is comprised of community members representing a diverse range of organizations and interests with the goal of guiding local efforts to ensure a complete and accurate count of all city residents in the census.
In these uncertain times where everything seems out of our control, with businesses and schools closed and the number of coronavirus cases of increasing statewide and nationally, I have tried to focus on the things I can do to help make a difference.
Some of these things include supporting our local restaurants and businesses, sharing mental health resources with my personal and professional networks, and discussing ways in which we can all play a part in improving the public health of our state.
And I have continued to spread the word about the 2020 U.S. Census, which is the federal government’s attempt to count every person, including every child, in the United States every 10 years. A requirement of the U.S. Constitution, it was created to ensure that states are represented fairly in Congress and receive their fair share of federal funding, which allows people’s voices to be heard and their communities to have the opportunity to thrive.
Along with population counts, the census collects information on socioeconomic factors such as gender, age, race and income. It serves as an indicator of conditions that include poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and disparities. It also helps us understand the areas where we’ve made progress.
Based on this data, the federal government decides how approximately 700 billion dollars of funding for public projects like building schools, maintaining roads, and supporting hospitals is allocated. That support for medical facilities is especially important these days because it can include funding for extra beds, important supplies like N-95 masks, and insurance coverage for the vulnerable like young children and the elderly.
Not surprisingly, local businesses and national corporations also care about the census because it helps them determine things like whether they should invest in a community by bringing in a new restaurant, building a new fitness studio, or creating a new housing development. In fact, the city of Columbia is proudly powered by the census because city leaders recognize the crucial role that counting everyone plays in shaping a successful future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted why now, more than ever, we need an accurate count of our population to ensure that communities across South Carolina have the right amount of resources. Since we’re all social distancing, this is the perfect time to get your census form and fill it out.
The census is easy, important, and most of all, safe. Your data is protected by law. You should have received a letter in the mail with a unique code for your household to fill out the census online. Remember to count yourself and everyone living in your household (even if it’s temporary) as of April 1. Learn more about who to count and how you can help spread the word.
Ten questions in 10 minutes gives us 10 years of adequate funding and opportunity for Columbia and all of South Carolina. The coronavirus outbreak is an important reminder that we should do our part to ensure our communities are healthy. One way to do that is to take part in the census.
