The New York Public Library is hosting outdoor tabling events at several branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, staffed with Census representatives to help New Yorkers complete the 2020 Census before the extended census deadline of Sept. 30. The events are designed to encourage and support response rates in New York City, which currently stands at 56.5 percent.
Federal funding is determined by Census response rates and Census information is used to determine New York City’s fair share of $675 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, infrastructure, and more each year—as well as the number of seats it holds in Congress.
Response rate data for local census tracts show that just 58.7 percent of residents in Norwood had completed the census as of Aug. 5. While this is above the City average, much more work is needed to ensure the district and the borough gets the funding it needs, given that the funding is based on census participation rates.
In University Heights, the response rate was slightly lower at 58.1 percent, in Fordham – 57 percent, Fordham University was 52 percent, Belmont was 49.8 percent, and Williamsbridge-Olinville was 47.8 percent.
According to Aaron Ghitelman from the New York City census office, both Olinville and Norwood contain multiple census tracts, as this map from CUNY, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data, shows. Ghitelman explained that the census tracts are designed at a neighborhood level, while COVID infection rates, for example, are tracked per ZIP code. When it comes to the census neighborhood boundaries, Olinville, for example, falls within Williamsbridge, which had a self-response rate of 47.8 percent as of Aug. 5.
Poster by NYC.gov
Meanwhile, The New York Public Library network is partnering with the City to do all it can in terms of educating the public, and providing support to them to guide them through the census. “The census is much more than a number. It is a pivotal moment for New Yorkers to make their voices heard,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “As a trusted community partner, The New York Public Library has offered patrons from all walks of life the tools they need to participate in our democracy and the 2020 Census is a fundamental opportunity to do just that. We are honored to support the City at this critical time and encourage everyone to take part in this historic event.”
Jeff T. Behler is Regional Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. “It’s important to remember that the 2020 Census is safe, easy, and important,” he said. “Census data is critical for public services like healthcare clinics, emergency response preparedness and education programs. The 2020 Census is your census – the future of your community depends on you, and your community’s responses. Encourage response now and lead your community to self-respond at 2020census.gov.”
Upcoming events in the Bronx include the following:
- Allerton Library – August 25, 11 AM – 2 PM
- Bronx Library Center – August 25, 1 PM – 4 PM
- City Island Library – August 26, 12 PM – 2 PM
To learn more about the 2020 Census, the Library has put together resources at www.nypl.org/census2020.
For 125 years, The New York Public Library has been one of the world’s leading free providers of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming, and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves nearly 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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