2010 Census is an opportunity to find out who is on Vashon

Published 12:21 pm Tuesday, March 16, 2010

By ALICE LARSON and LEE OCKINGA

We are sure all of you know some of our neighbors, from the multi-millionaires to those living on the street. We all know everyone on Vashon-Maury Island counts. Now, we need to make sure everyone is counted.

Most of you will have received your 2010 Census questionnaire in the mail by now. We need you to spend the 10 minutes it will take to fill it out and mail it back.

Some of us — those, for example, who only get mail at a post office box — will not get a mailed census questionnaire. They are only sent to street addresses. We are asking you to make sure to get a copy and be counted.

Why is the census important?

First, if we in Washington all do our part, there is a good chance we will be allocated an additional member of Congress. Because congressional representation is based on population numbers, that person will likely come from Western Washington.

Locally, our schools, roads, emergency care, ferry service, library service and many other things we rely on are distributed based on population and demographics. Business decisions, marketing plans and other non-governmental entities use census data.

Vashon is unincorporated. We do not have any city statistics, and county records are so broad that they often don’t say much about us. We have to speak up ourselves; completing the 2010 Census form is a simple way to take part.

We are a particularly hard-to-count place. In addition to the post office box issue, some of us have multiple living structures at a single address. This might mean that only one questionnaire will come to that address, leaving others uncounted. People may be living in what could be considered less than official places, or they may be afraid the census will tell the landlord how many people really live in their house.

We know there are people on Vashon who sleep in cars, the woods or any place they can find. We need your help to get them counted.

Census counts and counters do not care where or how you are living. In fact, all census employees must take an oath of confidentiality meaning if they disclose information to anyone, they will face serious monetary penalties and jail time.

We really do not know much about the characteristics of those who live here. According to the 2000 census, the Island’s population was slightly more than 10,000.

Between 2000 and 2007, Vashon had little population growth, according to the state Office of Financial Management. But in 2008, the office issued new numbers, showing we had added 1,000 people.

State officials now estimate that in 2009 we had grown to a population of 11,500 (a 15 percent increase over 2000). Are they right, or were they correct when they said we are not growing? The purpose of the 2010 Census is to find out.

To help make sure everyone on the Island is included, the Census Bureau is setting up two Questionnaire Assistance Centers. One will be in the Vashon Library meeting room Mondays and Fridays from March 19 to April 19. The other will be a special center, with staff floating from location to location. This is unusual, but so is our Island.

Census personnel have recognized it is necessary to encourage everyone on Vashon to be counted. This census staffer will be at various locations, such as the Vashon-Maury Community Food Bank, the Chamber of Commerce office, the Saturday Farmers Market, the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council meetings, the Senior Center lunches and other places where we congregate.

Census staff at the Vashon Library and the various other locations can help Islanders complete their census form, including providing assistance for those who speak only Spanish. It is also a place to go if you did not receive a census questionnaire. You can fill out a “Be Counted” form to make sure you are included in the census.

The census is very important for us. It is safe and easy. Please complete and mail back your questionnaire. Contact a census representative if you did not get a form, and encourage everyone you know to take part. Our Island’s complete count is up to you.

— Alice Larson is a social service research consultant on Vashon and adjunct faculty to Vashon College. Lee Ockinga is the executive director of the Vashon-Maury Island Chamber of Commerce.