Roanoke Electric Co-op is urging all community members to participate in the 2020 US Census, as the number of responses will significantly impact future funding levels for critical programs and services.
“North Carolina receives billions of dollars annually from census-guided federal programs and the more people counted, the more money our communities receive,” said Curtis Wynn, the co-op’s president and CEO. “This is why it is so important that everyone is counted in your household including children… Your response matters. It matters to your cooperative and the communities we serve.”
The U.S. Census Bureau will begin sending invitations to complete the census questionnaire between March 12-20. Census forms can be completed online, by phone or email.
“Census data is extremely important for all communities, but especially for rural regions like our service area,” Wynn said. “As a community partner, we depend on census data for application funding for programs like our broadband initiative.”
The census data will also be used to determine funding tor the following programs in this region:
- Housing and Section 8 vouchers
- Education Funding
- Transportation & Roads
- Disaster Recovery Assistance
- Local Infrastructure & Utilities
- Public Safety
- Economic Development
- Community Development
Information gathered from the census questionnaire will ascertain the number of people in a household, their names, a phone number and additional demographic information, such as age, sex, and race. The survey will not question one’s citizenship or ask for social security or financial information.
“It is also important to note that census responses are confidential and protected by law,” Wynn said. “The Census Bureau cannot share any specific responses with anyone, including federal, state, and local government agencies or immigration officials.”
For more information, visit the Census website.