Dear neighbors,
This week, I wrote a letter along with 33 of my colleagues from all levels of government demanding the governor's office to direct adequate census funding to Brooklyn. You can read the article about our letter by clicking the image below:
As we wrote in our letter, next year's census count will determine the amount of federal aid our community receives for vital programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and Section 8. Billions of dollars are at stake, and Brooklyn faces a severe risk of an undercount.
That's why our community is putting all hands on deck to get everyone counted. Our office is continually holding census outreach events and this week, we announced the formation of our Complete Count Committee -- a group of community leaders from more than 20 local organizations working together to inrease awareness of the census.
Thankfully, New York City is investing a total of $40 million in census efforts, and the state budget included $20 million in statewide funds. But unless an adequate amount of those funds go to Brooklyn -- where 80 percent of our residents live in hard-to-count neighborhoods -- we stand to lose funding for lifesaving programs and even seats in congress.
You can read our full letter in PDF here.
We encourage you to join our efforts to #MakeBrooklynCount in the census. Our next census event is next Tuesday in Brownsville - click here for more info. For other upcoming events, click here.
In solidarity,
Zellnor Myrie