Southeast Louisiana Business Center to assist north shore communities with 2010 census
Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
9/18/07
HAMMOND – The regional planning office of the Southeast Louisiana Business Center at Southeastern Louisiana University is currently meeting with representatives of north shore communities to assist with the upcoming 2010 Census.
The U.S. Census Bureau has scheduled the census for the spring of 2010. According to William Joubert, director of the Southeast Louisiana Business Center, the early planning that takes place with census and local government officials between now and 2010 is just as important as the census counting activity itself.
“Communities can play a significant role in helping improve the accuracy of the census for their community,” Joubert said. “Parishes, towns, and cities on the north shore should especially want to be involved in the census due to erratically varying population estimates since Hurricane Katrina.”
Joubert added the census provides not only population counts, but also breakdowns of population by age, race, gender, and income, as well as data used for political re-districting and grant distributions.
Parishes and cities must play the role they are allowed in the census process, Joubert explained. That “role” has to do with the LUCA program (Local Update of Census Addresses) provided by census officials to local governments for their review before the actual census count.
“Through the LUCA process, local governments are allowed to confidentially verify the accuracy of address lists, street lists, group quarters, and new city boundaries as a way to get an accurate population count in their respective communities,” Joubert said.
Southeastern’s Business Center is hosting a U.S. Census workshop on October 24 from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Interested parties must register for the workshop by calling the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-866-511-5822. The Census Bureau will provide technical support and training, maps, and address lists for local communities to review during the coming months Joubert added.
For more information on the upcoming U.S. Census, contact John Dardis at the Business Center, (985) 549-3199 or john.dardis@selu.edu.
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