2020 Census Active Military and Veterans Chicago Region

2020 Census Active Military and Veterans Chicago Region Special Initiative Plan Census Statewide Briefing 10/30/2019

2020 Census A Message from the Director The Chicago Region is pleased to share its plans for the upcoming census. We look forward to this opportunity to meet and engage partners in support of our 2020 Census special initiatives. Our goal is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place! The Chicago Region’s Special Initiative Plan includes targeted Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP) strategies and approaches to reach hard-to-count populations. These outreach strategies include developing partnerships with local governments and community-based organizations that service hardto-count communities. This plan is intended to provide clear outreach strategies for all eight states in the region which include Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. 2 Marilyn A. Sanders Chicago Regional Director

2020 Census Background and Purpose The U. S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 2) requires a headcount every 10 years, of everyone residing in the United States. • • • An estimated 1. 3 million active military and 19 million veterans live in the United States. They live in every state and in nearly every county across the nation. About 5 million veterans lived in areas designated as rural by the U. S. Census Bureau during the 2011– 2015 period. 2. 7 million reside within our Region’s eight states. 3

2020 Census The Number of Veterans in Your State # Identified Veterans Arkansas 206, 796 Illinois 614, 725 Indiana 394, 715 Iowa 193, 451 Michigan 581, 527 Minnesota 319, 438 Missouri 424, 605 Wisconsin 350, 330 Source: 4

2020 Census Barriers to a Complete Count There a number of factors that make the veteran population vulnerable to an undercount: Government distrust Homelessness Transitory Status Service-connected mental health illness § Service-connected physical disability. § § 5

2020 Census Partnership Approach for the 2020 Census Our mission is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. The Community Partnership Engagement Program (CPEP)’s goal is to: § Train and Develop staff who are familiar with veteran’s organizations. § Identify Key Partners that work with Veterans in Low Response Areas § Host Community Dialogs and Workshops to build connection and trust with Veterans in your area. 6

2020 Census How Your CCC Can Reach HTC Veterans q Forming a subcommittee on Military and Veterans can be an important outreach tool to reach veterans in high LRS areas: q Working with local businesses to display core messages that allay the concerns of veterans q Hosting activities with partners such as the VA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Departments of Veterans Affairs, AMVETS, Association of Rural and Small Libraries, American GI Forum, etc. 7

2020 Census Communication and Marketing Strategy 8

2020 Census Your Partnership Contact If you have any questions about our Special Initiative on Veteran Concerns, please contact: Drake Booker, Lead Partnership Specialist, Illinois drake. d. booker@2020 census. gov Martell Buckley, Partnership Coordinator, Iowa martell. d. buckley@2020 census. gov 9