SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. (WLVT) - A new census office opened up in the Lehigh Valley Wednesday and officials are working to educate everyone on why accurate representation matters.
“We need you!” said Lehigh County Executive, Phillips Armstrong. “We need people to realize how important this is.”
Leaders urged everyone to build trust within their communities to help get an accurate count of the census. One of the community partners helping to get the word out is the organization FACES International “We want to make sure they understand how safe it is, how important it is,” said Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Greene. “The tangible things that the census affects in their day-to-day life. Everything from the roads we drive on, the schools their children are in, the clean water we have.”
FACES is helping oversee census hubs where people can come for assistance when responding. “We understand everyone doesn’t have access to internet and technology,” said Greene. He said there are 17 hubs in Allentown, and you can click here to learn more about them.
As for filling out the census, Armstrong said the numbers represented will directly impact people living in the county. He mentioned infrastructure repairs are always a big concern, but it cannot be addressed if people don’t respond to the census.
Officials also stressed the fact that all information shared in the census is secure, and it is illegal for anyone to share your information with other government agencies. There will not be any questions regarding your legal status as a citizen, and officials hope that will encourage more people to fill it out.
The new census office is responsible for recruiting and managing field operations. They are currently hiring for in-house positions, but most available jobs are for people in the field. Officials said the pay range is from $18-20/hour. If you are interested in applying for a job, click here to visit the census application portal.
The census office will be out in the community in places like the Lehigh Valley Mall, the Allentown, Monroe, and Scranton Careerlink centers, and at Allentown City Hall to assist people. If you want to know more about their community stops, you can contact maria.c.ocasio@2020census.gov.
