Share gets $10,000 for Census project

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Homeless and hunger outreach organization Share has received a $10,000 grant from the Washington Census Equity Fund to benefit this year’s Census efforts, the organization announced last week.

The grant will be used to “ensure a complete and accurate Census count in Clark County,” according to Share’s release. Money from the grant is used for outreach to people experiencing homelessness the organization encounters at its shelters or street outreach, including the recent Project Homeless Connect put on by the Council for the Homeless.

That outreach took a variety of forms, the release stated, ranging from pamphlet distribution, going over mock Census activities with individuals and hosting a Census Day event April 1 to help with Census completion.

“Share is grateful to our state for this grant which will assist our staff to help local low-income households and those who are homeless to have their voice counted. The funds will help to remove barriers, such as lack of housing, language or no computer access, that prevent people from participating in the census,” Share Executive Director Diane McWithey stated in the release. “The accuracy of the census is vital, as government agencies will use this date for the next 10 years to shape our community and decide what resources to allocate. Often, the populations that are hardest to count are the very residents who need additional resources. For example, a family in the process of securing affordable housing may live in temporary housing, like a shelter or their own car, so they wouldn’t receive census mail or be in a place where a census worker could find them to facilitate participation. We want to make sure all our citizens are counted.”

An accurate Census can translate to more federal funding, the release stated, noting that in 2016 Washington State received $16.7 billion from 55 federal programs.



The latest Census faces a few challenges stemming from a shortage of federal funding to outreach and a new online format that lacked testing, the release stated. Going online could lead to those without broadband access or computer literacy to be overlooked, or those in hard-to-count populations such as low-income or homeless residents.

The release stated that Census-driven data led to funding impacts on programs benefiting people experiencing homelessness, such as SNAP and WIC benefits, housing and education programs and those that benefit runaway and homeless youth, among others.

The release stated Washington had more than 1.6 million residents at risk of being undercounted this year, leading to a potential of less funding and resources for programs directly affecting their communities. The Washington Census Equity Fund, a statewide pooled fund managed by Philanthropy Northwest, awarded $700,000 in funding organizations and tribes supporting communities across Washington, according to the release.

— The Reflector