Fresno, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus
faithinthevalley.org
“Our communities, with reason, have varied thoughts or opinions about our government. When I was growing up, my family felt like nothing was the government’s business,” says Pastor Trena Turner, Executive Director of Faith in the Valley. “And that belief is still prevalent in many African American homes.”
“We make an effort to reassure that Census information is protected and can’t be shared with other government entities. Particularly in our current housing crisis, people need to know, they won’t lose their housing because they have more people living there,” she says. “What will happen if you don’t participate: We won’t have the ability to forecast future needed services; health facilities, new schools or other infrastructure, where we need them most in our communities.”
In fact, when children walk 45 minutes to a bus stop to get to the only middle school they can attend, this is a result of people not being counted properly in the past. “You’re not just making a decision for right now, but for the next 10 years and beyond,” she says. “I’m believing for a better Census this year than in the past. We are all out doing our part to dispel cultural myths, and ensure each of our communities has an accurate count.”
