Phoenix launches new committee to ensure accurate 2020 Census count

PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council has created a new committee in an effort to ensure that every resident in the city will be counted in the upcoming U.S. Census in 2020.

The Census 2020 Ad Hoc Committee will be made up of a group of city council members and community leaders, including interim Mayor Thelda Williams and Councilwomen Debra Stark and Vania Guevara.

Community leaders Jenifer Corey, Gema Duarte-Luna, Gerardo Higginson, Lachele Mangum and Verma Pastor will also be part of the committee.

Williams argued in a statement that the committee was necessary in order for the city to obtain the maximum amount of federal funding.

“It is critical that every Phoenix resident is counted,” Williams said.

“An accurate count ensures Phoenix receives the federal and state funding it counts on to provide services to residents, and I believe that completing this mission will take the support and collaboration of our entire community.”

The U.S. Census not only determines how to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds across the country, but also determines each state’s number of congressional seats.

Williams argued that an undercount of Phoenix residents could affect a number of essential programs, including Section 8 housing assistance, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid.

The Census will be held on April 1, 2020.

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