by:Dana Whyte
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Local leaders in the Latino community want to make sure their voices are being heard, especially as the push for completing the 2020 Census continues,
One of the goals is to combat the negative stigma surrounding filling it out, officials at the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan want to assure their community that it’s safe and they’re there to help.
Daniela Rojas, the fund development and communications manager with Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, said, “It is crucial that we get that information out to our government so that our communities can be well-funded and well-represented."
For members of the Latino community in West Michigan, filling out the census isn’t always easy Rojas said.
Rojas added, “There are barriers that include language barriers, poverty, then there’s of course the complexity of where people live. Of course, we have our undocumented population where there’s still some sort of fear about the confidentiality of the information.”
There are still resources available Rojas stressed. The Hispanic center is now using its food distribution events to keep the public informed by handing out flyers and answering questions.
More: WOODTV.COM