The 2020 Census Office report for April 2020 includes updates regarding COVID-19 and the census, marketing, community engagement, data visualization, Phase Two funding, the updated 2020 Census timeline, grant allocations, and disbursements. Due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the March Census Advisory Panel meeting was canceled. However, we have included the information and PowerPoint presentations in this report that were intended to be presented at the March panel meeting.
COVID-19: Please visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/ for the most current information.
Census and COVID-19: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USCB has delayed field operations and enumeration of group quarters, service based, transitory, and homeless shelters, and has extended the self-response period to August 14th.
Given the public health circumstances, the Census Office has been working with Regional Intermediaries (RIs), community partners, stakeholders, and legislators to shift outreach strategies to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census, while ensuring the safety of those involved.
The Census Office recommended that RIs follow directives provided by State and local authorities regarding not convening community meetings or one-on-one outreach efforts with residents, especially those who are considered high risk for COVID-19. These include maintaining proper handwashing hygiene and staying home if they are sick. (This was not only guidance, but a requirement, after Governor Pritzker issued his Stay at Home Executive Order.) The Census Office offered RIs the following strategies to promote questionnaire completion:
- Phone banking, texting, and virtual assistance and outreach.
- Outreach via social media and creating a strong online presence.
- Ensuring there are flyers, palm cards, and materials at grocery stores, community centers, clinics, and other essential locations.
- Dropping off literature with information on how to self-respond so that people are still hearing about the Census.
- Promoting texting with 987987, so that residents can get answers to their Census questions and take a pledge to be reminded to complete the Census form (message and data rates may apply; see Terms & Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy).
- Highlighting the fact that people can complete the Census at home: online, by phone, or by returning the paper questionnaire. www.my2020census.gov
Marketing: Kivvit, the marketing firm selected to assist IDHS in launching a statewide Census marketing campaign with advertising buys and digital media, and delivery of the Census message to all Illinois residents, with a focus on the Hard to Count (HTC) populations, has commenced working on the deliverables for the State and the IDHS Census Office. Please access Kivvit's presentation, which includes an overview of the firm's strategy and timeline for the 2020 Census. Kivvit Media Plan Presentation
Community Engagement: CommunityConnect Labs ("CCL") is a national nonprofit that specializes in digital community engagement. The Census Office has partnered with CCL to provide text messaging tools available for all Illinois residents to support census outreach and engagement, employment recruitment, and a question and answer chat box. Please access CCL's presentation which includes an overview of the tools and specific details regarding the different functions. CCL Advisory Panel Presentation
Data Visualization: UIC has added new features to the Census maps that display the RIs' and their sub-recipients' offices and outreach areas. Visitors to the website can now add a legislative district filter to the maps to view RI Census activities that have taken place in specific Congressional, State Representative, and State Senator districts. UIC is also updating the maps with real time 2020 Census response rates as it is shared by the U.S. Census Bureau daily. The maps are available to the public at www.mapthecount.org.
Phase Two Funding: The IDHS Census Office consulted with the Census Advisory Panel on recommendations to allocate the remaining $8M in Census funding. The remaining funding is being used to meet service gaps through the following strategies:
- Increasing grants for current RIs to augment localized marketing, to support current and additional sub-recipients, and to reach additional HTC populations; and
- Partnering with sister State agencies through Intergovernmental Agreements to leverage existing networks and to reach HTC populations.
After consulting with the RIs, subrecipients, community partners, and UIC, and based on an analysis of planned activities and data that indicated greater need than the current services provided, the following HTC populations and geographies were identified as needing additional resources. They include but are not limited to:
- People experiencing homelessness;
- Persons with disabilities;
- Migrant workers;
- Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24);
- Veterans;
- Re-entry population;
- Older adults; and
- People that identify as LGBTQ.
Partnerships with faith networks and the business community were also identified needs.
Partnering with State agencies allows the Census Office to most efficiently leverage their expertise, established communication networks, and existing relationships with HTC populations to facilitate participating in the Census and to ensure that they are counted.
To address these needs, the Census Office granted the following to RIs and State agencies:
Total Obligated
$29,000,000
| State Agency |
Phase II funding |
| Department on Aging |
$ 500,000 |
| Department of Agriculture |
$ 951,550 |
| Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |
$ 850,467 |
| Department of Veterans' Affairs |
$ 55,000 |
| Total Amount |
$2,357,017 |
| Regional Intermediary |
Region |
Phase II funding |
New Grant Total |
| Illinois Primary Health Care Association |
Central |
$873,873 |
$1,373,873 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
Central |
$ 13,380 |
$113,380 |
| Community Assistance Program |
Chicago |
$400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
| Habilitative Systems, Inc |
Chicago |
$917,500 |
$3,267,500 |
| Illinois Action for Children |
Chicago |
$108,050 |
$1,108,050 |
| Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
Chicago |
$433,500 |
$2,433,500 |
| Pilsen Little Village |
Chicago |
$13,500 |
$148,500 |
| Puerto Rican Cultural Center |
Chicago |
$86,000 |
$301,000 |
| Rincon Family Services |
Chicago |
$400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
| UIC Jane Addams |
Chicago |
$48,500 |
$248,500 |
| YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago |
Chicago |
$310,000 |
$1,310,000 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
Collar |
$7,580 |
$207,580 |
| Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
Collar |
$287,000 |
$1,037,000 |
| Metropolitan Mayors Caucus |
Collar |
$15,000 |
$315,000 |
| Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems |
Collar |
$75,000 |
$825,000 |
| United Way of Metropolitan Chicago |
Collar |
$20,000 |
$220,000 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
North Central |
$51,923 |
$201,923 |
| Tri-County Regional Planning |
North Central |
$130,000 |
$630,000 |
| Champaign-Urbana Public Health District |
Northeast Central |
$61,750 |
$756,750 |
| Region 1 Planning Council |
Northern |
$95,000 |
$1,015,000 |
| Illinois Public Health Association |
Northwest |
$70,000 |
$545,000 |
| Clay County Health Department |
Southeast Central |
$124,703 |
$474,703 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
Southeast Central |
$6,583 |
$56,583 |
| Illinois Public Health Association |
Southern |
$141,525 |
$841,525 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
Southwest Central |
$39,194 |
$369,194 |
| Teens Against Killing Everywhere |
Southwest Central |
$143,500 |
$473,500 |
| Illinois Action for Children |
Suburban |
$114,850 |
$864,850 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
Suburban |
$31,735 |
$781,735 |
| Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
Suburban |
$368,500 |
$1,368,500 |
| Metropolitan Mayors Caucus |
Suburban |
$313,000 |
$1,313,000 |
| Western Illinois Regional Council |
West Central |
$45,000 |
$345,000 |
| Total Amount |
|
$5,746,146 |
$25,746,146 |
Updated Census Activity Timeline Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The chart below details the updated upcoming census activities of both the 2020 Census Office and the U.S. Census Bureau:
| Activity |
Date |
| USCB invitation to respond to 2020 Census Online |
March 12-20th 2020 |
| USCB reminder letter to complete census |
March 16-24th 2020 |
| Census Office determines needs and provides grants to address |
By March 31st 2020 |
| USCB reminder postcard mailed |
March 26th - April 3rd 2020 |
| USCB reminder letter and paper questionnaire mailed |
April 8th -16th 2020 |
| USCB final reminder postcard mailed |
April 20th - 27th 2020 |
| USCB follow up by in person enumerator |
May 28th -August 14th 2020 |
| RI and subrecipient outreach and education efforts conclude |
August 2020 |
| USCB delivers census count to President and Congress |
December 2020 |
| USCB delivers redistricting counts to States |
By April 1st 2021 |
Grant Allocation and Disbursements:
| Regional Intermediary |
Amount |
Amount Paid |
| CENTRAL |
| Illinois Primary Health Care Association |
$500,000.00 |
$243,471.88 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$100,000.00 |
$41,701.32 |
| CHICAGO |
| Community Assistance Programs |
$1,000,000.00 |
$560,701.71 |
| Habilitative Systems Inc |
$2,350,000.00 |
$714,152.71 |
| Illinois Action for Children |
$1,000,000.00 |
$330,313.19 |
| Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
$2,000,000.00 |
$631,848.92 |
| Pilsen Little Village |
$135,000.00 |
$45,602.11 |
| Puerto Rican Cultural Center |
$215,000.00 |
$111,181.13 |
| Rincon Family Services |
$1,000,000.00 |
$375,732.79 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago |
$200,000.00 |
None Requested |
| YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago |
$1,000,000.00 |
$345,380.47 |
| COLLAR |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$200,000.00 |
$76,668.66 |
| Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
$750,000.00 |
$252,135.19 |
| Metropolitan Mayors Caucus |
$300,000.00 |
$81,204.88 |
| Reaching Across Library Systems |
$750,000.00 |
$35,129.66 |
| United Way of Metropolitan Chicago |
$200,000.00 |
$34,760.78 |
| NORTH CENTRAL |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$150,000.00 |
$55,283.48 |
| Tri-County Regional Planning |
$500,000.00 |
$108,171.98 |
| NORTHEAST CENTRAL |
| Champaign Urbana Public Health District |
$695,000.00 |
$201,094,27 |
| NORTHERN |
| Region 1 Planning Council |
$920,000.00 |
$324,136.03 |
| NORTHWEST |
| Illinois Public Health Association |
$475,000.00 |
$150,013.41 |
| SOUTHEAST CENTRAL |
| Clay County Health Department |
$350,000.00 |
$164,026.08 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$50,000.00 |
$17,326.67 |
| SOUTHERN |
| Illinois Public Health Association |
$700,000.00 |
$220,578.67 |
| SOUTHWEST CENTRAL |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$330,000.00 |
$109,484.62 |
| Teens Against Killing Everywhere |
$330,000.00 |
$141,468.17 |
| SUBURBAN |
| Illinois Action for Children |
$750,000.00 |
$220,267.32 |
| Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies |
$750,000.00 |
$231,663.05 |
| Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights |
$1,000,000.00 |
$300,213.96 |
| Metropolitan Mayors Caucus |
$1,000,000.00 |
$303,484.42 |
| WESTERN |
| Western Illinois Regional Council |
$300,000.00 |
$33,623.99 |
| TOTAL |
$20,000,000.00 |
$6,462,821.52 |
Census Data, Research, GIS Visualization
and Regional Intermediary Coordination |
Amount |
Amount Paid |
| University of Illinois at Chicago |
$896,837 |
$7,183.94 |
| TOTAL |
$896,837 |
$7,183.94 |
| Appropriation Amount |
Obligated Amount |
Amount Paid |
| $29,000,000 |
$29,000,000 |
$6,470,005.46 |
