Allocation dependent on nation’s survey

With $400 billion in federal funding per year to be distributed across the country for the next decade, approximately 10 questions may give face to key areas whose conditions demand attention the most.

Yet, should the U.S. Census Bureau collect inaccurate data, it could jeopardize certain populations' chances of having their needs addressed, a possibility that could leave problems in the West County unattended.

"If everyone isn't counted, (they're) not going to get the full funding back," said Dave Sheppard, chief of the population and housing programs branch of the U.S. Census Bureau. "(The state) won't know (their) needs."

To further encourage residents to complete the census, Contra Costa College is being advertised as a counting site where students and members of the community can fill out the form in the Student Activities Building now until April 19.

The decennial census counts every inhabitant within the country and gathers that information to determine apportionment, redistricting and resource allocation.

Money allocated based on the information accumulated through the census could go to the building and maintenance of hospitals, schools, infrastructure, transportation and other services, according to the official 2010 census Web site.

 "(The 2010 census) is important in this decade more than ever, (and it is) especially important to this geographic area," community and educational partnership liaison Michele Jackson said. "(This is) how we look to the federal government."

With the unemployment rate in Richmond and San Pablo being the highest in its county, an accurate measure of residents in the state and community is vital, President McKinley Williams said.

"The West County service area has an abundance of (unaddressed) needs," he said. "It is important for us to be in line to get our fair share."

The census uses resident population figures to distribute apportionment, the number of members each state holds in the House of Representatives.

According to the 2000 census found on the official homepage for the bureau, 53 members in the House of Representatives represented California.

Election Data Services Inc. projects that the number of congressional seats for California will remain steady in 2010, according to a reapportionment analysis document released on their official Web site in December last year.

The states are then given the responsibility of redistricting, an act where state officials redraw the boundaries of districts based on the reports of their estimated populations.

Sheppard said that when determining where to "split up the state," politicians look to information gathered in the census.

Jackson said, "We get our fair share of electoral votes and (we have to) make sure we get representation for taxation. If (people) are not counted, (we'll) be stuck with someone else with boundaries that will not represent us."

The West County, with an "underrepresented" demographic including residents who are homeless or immigrants, is in need of an accurate count, Jackson said.

"California loses so much money because such a diverse population is not counted. So when the federal (government) sends our portion, it does not correspond with the need," she said.

For every resident who does not complete the census, the state loses $3,000 annually, she said.

Rather than risking the allocation of money, filling out the census could help residents with resources they may need in the upcoming 10 years, Jackson said.

With data showing a need for child care, health care and hospitals to create a healthy environment, the census could influence the allocation for "better resources for students so they come to school," she said.

As each population carries its own demands, Sheppard said the federal formulas look to the information from the census when deciding on where to focus funding.

Sheppard said, "(It is) in everyone's best interest that the funding goes to a lot of different things."

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com