SEATTLE - Census Bureau workers in the Northwest are trying to find ways to get a more accurate count of the homeless. They're in the midst of a three-day effort to visit soup kitchens, shelters and the streets to find people without addresses. At the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle, workers passed out hygiene kits to spread the word. Cecilia Sorci[SOAR-see] is spokeswoman for the Northwest census office.
Cecilia Sorci: "We have to actually reach out to these folks and let them know. And it's primarily...the shelters and meal sites, that's the easier place to count folks. But it's those living outdoors, maybe those who may be mistrustful of government, may have reservations about sharing their information, thinking that it won't be kept safe."
Accurate census counts matter because federal funding is distributed to local governments based on population. Sorci[SOAR-see] acknowledges her agency won't catch every homeless person during the three-day push. But she hopes it will be an improvement over past census counts.
Copyright 2010 KPLU
Cecilia Sorci: "We have to actually reach out to these folks and let them know. And it's primarily...the shelters and meal sites, that's the easier place to count folks. But it's those living outdoors, maybe those who may be mistrustful of government, may have reservations about sharing their information, thinking that it won't be kept safe."
Accurate census counts matter because federal funding is distributed to local governments based on population. Sorci[SOAR-see] acknowledges her agency won't catch every homeless person during the three-day push. But she hopes it will be an improvement over past census counts.
Copyright 2010 KPLU
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