The deadline to respond to the 2020 Census has changed. Data collection will now end on Thursday, October 15, at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Time, which is 5 a.m. Central Standard Time, Friday, October 16.
By Niya K. Kelly, Director of State Legislative Policy, Equity and Transformation
COVID-19 Related Voting Procedures
Due to the pandemic, individuals are encouraged to vote early or by mail to minimize crowds and long waits on Election Day. Those who request vote-by-mail ballots have options for how to drop them off. Local Boards of Election throughout Illinois are setting up secure ballot drop boxes for those who would prefer not to mail in their ballots. Voters can visit this portal on the Illinois State Board of Elections’ website to find their nearest ballot drop box location. Chicago drop box locations can be found here.
PLEASE NOTE: Drop boxes will NOT be available at your precinct polling place on Election Day. If you bring a ballot there, you’ll have to surrender the vote-by-mail ballot and vote a new ballot in person.
In Chicago, voters can also drop off their vote-by-mail ballots at every Early Voting Site beginning October 14, or return their ballots directly to the Chicago Board of Elections at 69 W. Washington on the sixth floor. And of course, vote-by-mail ballots can also be returned in the mail, but must be postmarked by November 3, Election Day. An informational palm card is available here.
Remote learning begins Tuesday for nearly 400,000 students at Chicago Public Schools. But the fall semester may prove to be an extra challenge for the district’s homeless population — an estimated 16,500 students who rely on schools for Internet access and other resources.
This means Illinois landlords cannot file eviction cases and a Sheriff cannot enforce eviction actions during this time.
In Cook County, limited exceptions exist only in cases where a tenant “poses a direct threat to the health and safety” of other tenants or an “immediate and severe risk to property” (First Municipal District, Extending General Order 2020-23).
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is on a mission to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are counted in the 2020 Census by increasing awareness that housing status does not bar census participation. Gloria Davis, CCH’s Census 2020 project manager, is leading outreach efforts with unhoused populations, despite COVID-19.
Her work at CCH is “trying to find a way to have [the census] be a fair and accurate count—because it really hasn’t been for us,” said Davis.
Have you filled out your census form yet? If not, you have until October 31 to make sure you are counted! Responding early is encouraged to avoid a follow-up visit from a U.S. Census worker.
Every person living in the country should be counted, no matter their housing status.
Yet people experiencing homelessness are often undercounted, depriving many of fair political representation and access to vital resources.
The deadline to respond to the census has been extended from July 31 to September 30. But households are still strongly encouraged to respond early to minimize the need for follow up visits from a census official.
Are you living in a house or apartment or staying doubled-up at the home of a friend or relative?
(Unchanged)
Every household has been sent multiple mailings from the U.S. Census Bureau with instructions on how to participate.
Every person living in the house should be counted, including family and friends who are residing temporarily or couch surfing.
If you are living doubled-up and were not included on your household’s form for any reason, you can still be counted! Anyone may self-respond online or over the phone. A census ID number is not needed.
Are you living in a shelter?
(New dates)
Counting people at service-based locations (shelters, soup kitchens) has been delayed. The count will now take place between September 22 and 24.
The U.S. Census Bureau is connecting directly with providers and stakeholders to determine the best way to safely and accurately conduct the count amid public health concerns.
Are you living on the street or in an encampment?
(New dates)
The count at non-sheltered outdoor locations, such as tent encampments and underpasses, has been delayed.
The count will happen between September 23 and 24.
People experiencing homelessness that have access to a phone or computer are encouraged to self-respond.
People that are homeless do not have to wait for the service-based enumeration process to be counted.
The U.S. Census Bureau has a process to eliminate duplicates if someone self-responds and is later counted at a shelter or on the street.
All people experiencing homelessness can complete a census form online or over the phone. This linked guide provides step by step instructions on how to respond online if you are homeless.
CCH’s outreach activities are on pause, but you still can help us ensure all Illinoisans are counted in the 2020 Census, no matter their housing status:
Share this blog post on social media.
Email our revised 2020 Census fact sheet, palm card, and poster to your networks. These documents, designed by CCH, were updated to reflect the U.S. Census Bureau’s modified operations.
Encourage your friends and family to complete the census online, over the phone, or by mail. Be sure to fill out your own form, too!
Check out the U.S. Census Bureau’s official 2020 Census page for more information.
Questions about the census counting those who are homeless?
Contact Gloria Davis, CCH Census 2020 Project Manager, at gloria@chicagohomeless.org or (312) 641-4140.
The census counts every single person living in the United States. Everyone counts no matter their housing status, income, age, race, or country of origin. The census happens once every 10 years, so it’s critical to get it right.
Whether you are permanently housed or living on the street, in a shelter, or doubled-up with family or friends, you should be counted!
What’s at stake
Counting every person matters because census data impacts access to important programs and resources in your community:
Population counts are used to determine how $675 billion in federal funding is distributed.
Without an accurate count, Illinois could lose funding for schools, hospitals, roads and important programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and Section 8 housing vouchers.
The census also determines how much representation you have in Congress:
Undercounting leads to homeless individuals and families not being fairly represented in policy-making decisions.
When you’re not counted, your community is denied a full voice.
How to get counted in 2020
The census runs from March 12 through July 31. When completing the census form, you’ll note where you are living on April 1.
Are you living in a house or apartment or staying doubled-up at the home of a friend or relative?
Between March 12 and March 20, every home will receive a mailing from the U.S. Census Bureau with instructions on how to participate.
Every person living in the house should be counted, including family and friends who are residing temporarily or couch surfing.
Respond by April 30 to avoid a home visit from a census official.
Are you living in a shelter, on the street, or in a car?
Census workers will visit service-based locations (shelters, soup kitchens) to record responses between March 30 and April 1.
Non-sheltered outdoor locations such as encampments and underpasses will be counted on April 1.
If you are living in a shelter or receive services in the community, talk to staff to confirm when their location will be counted to make sure you’re not missed.
You can still be counted if:
You are living doubled-up and were not included on your household’s form for any reason
You started staying at a shelter after April 1 and missed the visit from a census worker
You are living on the street and a census worker did not find you on April 1
People experiencing homelessness who were not counted through the methods above can still complete a census form online or over the phone. Don’t have access to a computer or phone? Visit your local library and ask a staffer for assistance.
Help us make sure all Illinoisans are counted in the 2020 Census, no matter their housing status:
With the 2020 Census almost here, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is helping ensure that homeless children, youth, and adults across Illinois are counted. This includes offering new CCH outreach materials aimed at informing those experiencing homelessness.
As one of 42 partner organizations with Forefront’s IL Count Me In 2020 program, CCH is providing outreach and education to support a fair and accurate count among hard-to-count communities.
Our message? People experiencing homelessness count, too!
As part of this initiative, CCH organizers and attorneys are providing census education at shelters, schools, drop-in centers, and events across Chicago in the months leading up to Census Day on April 1, 2020. This includes targeted outreach to homeless families, students, unaccompanied youth, and single adults; promoting the census to shelter providers; and distributing outreach materials. Between now and March 2020, we anticipate educating about 750 homeless people and 850 service providers as well as distributing more than 7,000 census-related handouts.
Our focus? To emphasize why a complete count is critical and inform people how to participate if they’re homeless.
“I’m doing everything in my power to make sure that our people step up and are counted,” said Gloria Davis, CCH’s Census 2020 project manager. “Past undercounting of people who are homeless is one of the reasons we have such a shortage of services for our community. We are hoping to change that.”
The U.S. Census Bureau invites most households to respond through the mail, but the process looks different for those without a permanent roof over their heads. To make sure this hard-to-count group isn’t overlooked, CCH staff designed census outreach materials tailored specifically for people experiencing homelessness.
A fact sheet covers all the basics — what the census is, when it’s happening, and why it matters. It also outlines the steps a homeless person can take to make sure they’re counted, whether they are living in a shelter, on the street, or doubled-up with a friend or relative.
Two other new pieces of outreach material — a poster as well as a palm card — provide a similar census overview for people experiencing homelessness.
Help us make sure all Illinoisans are counted in the 2020 Census, no matter their housing status:
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is grateful to have been chosen as the beneficiary for Skender Foundation’s 8th annual Harvesting Hope fundraiser. More than 300 people attended the October 17 event at Venue West in the West Loop, raising $43,000 for CCH’s Youth Futures mobile legal aid clinic.
(From left to right) Associate Legal Director Beth Malik and CCH Executive Director Doug Schenkelberg with Skender Foundation Executive Director Belinda Moore and Builders’ Board members.
Organized by Skender Foundation’s Builders’ Board, Harvesting Hope seeks to encourage the spirit of giving among young professionals looking to create positive change in Chicago. The Builders’ Board is comprised of young professionals across various industries and career stages. Members give back to their communities through leadership development, fundraising, and volunteerism. The board presented its check to Youth Futures on Nov. 14.
The mission of Skender Foundation is to create access to resources and relationships that help people make good life decisions through greater education and wellness. Founded in 2012 as a 501(c)3 public foundation, Skender Foundation has donated more than $5.6 million to over 300 nonprofits in Chicago. Previous beneficiaries of Harvesting Hope include Purple Asparagus, Snow City Arts, and Embarc Chicago.
Associate Legal Director Beth Malik addresses the crowd.
“Youth Futures provides critical and life-changing legal services to homeless young people to put them on the path toward safety, stability, and independence,” said Associate Legal Director Beth Malik, in her remarks at Harvesting Hope.
“We would not be able to do this work without the generous support of organizations like Skender and the Builders’ Board. Over 11,000 youth experience homelessness each year in Chicago. By supporting Youth Futures tonight, you are lifting up these young people, and letting them know that they are seen, that they are supported, and that they matter.”
CCH Board and staff members at Harvesting Hope, from left, Maxica Williams, Christy Savellano, Mary Frances Charlton, Doug Schenkelberg, Erin Sindewald, Patricia Nix-Hodes, Beth Malik, Alyssa Phillips, and Charles Jenkins.
During FY19, Youth Futures outreached to more than 4,000 homeless and unaccompanied youths at schools, shelters, drop-in centers, and community events, educating them on their rights and available resources. CCH attorneys closed 501 cases on behalf of 315 youth clients, helping homeless students turned away by their public schools and representing young people struggling to access Medicaid and health care.
Generous support from partners like Skender Foundation make it possible for Youth Futures to continue to support homeless and unaccompanied youth navigate pressing legal issues, including access to education, health care, and housing.
On Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker issued an Executive Order that
