Many faith-based communities express a special mission for people the census describes as “Hard To Count” (HTC) populations: immigrants, children, low-wage families, and other vulnerable communities that tend to have fewer resources and less power. Often, faith communities are trusted messengers in HTC communities and have unique opportunities to make sure everyone is reached and counted. Funding and representation rely on complete counts.

Start by telling them why a complete count is urgent for your mission and the people in your community. Then invite them to become Census Champions — introduce them to TexasCounts.org and encourage them to sign up and explore resources and contribute to the conversations in the crowd-sourced discussion forum. Some congregations could have special programming around the census; for example, there are resources for Christian congregations to discuss the role a census played in Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

For years, the Census Bureau’s American Factfinder site  has been a crucial resource for learning about needs in our communities. It is being replaced in 2020 by data.census.gov.  Go to data.census.gov, look up Texas, and discover more about how Census data can help your faith-based community learn!