Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - Census Assistance Center Opening Throughout St. Lucie County

St. Lucie County residents should have already received their 2010 Census form in the mail by now. Everyone is encouraged to complete and return their Census form as soon as possible, so that St. Lucie County can receive its fair share of federal funding, which exceeds $400 billion annually.

If residents haven't received their Census form or they need assistance in completing the questionnaire, there are Questionnaire Assistance Centers located throughout St. Lucie County. To find a list of the area Questionnaire Assistance Centers visit: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/#/howWorks.

A few local Census Questionnaire Assistance Centers include:

• Fort Pierce Branch Library, 101 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce: Tuesday - Saturday from 9 a.m. - noon
  
• Morningside Branch Library, 2410 Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie: Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - noon
  
• St. Lucie County Veteran Services Office, Walton Road Annex, 1664 S.E. Walton Road, Suite 205, Port St. Lucie: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  
• Harvest Food and Outreach, 2520 Orange Ave., Fort Pierce: Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Questionnaire Assistance Centers help those who have questions about the Census operations, need special language assistance, need help in completing a questionnaire due to factors such as low literacy skills or physical challenges, or do not understand how to complete the questionnaire. These centers also have blank forms available in many different languages.  The local ''Be Counted'' sites have blank forms available for those who did not receive a questionnaire in the mail or those who feel they may not have been counted.

For additional information about the 2010 Census, call 1-866-872-6868 (English) or 1-866-928-2010 (Spanish). Filling out your form and mailing it back will help ensure a more accurate count. Taxpayers save $85 million for every one percent increase in mail participation!

The Census happens every 10 years to get an accurate count of how many people are living in the United States and where they are located. The confidential data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau is used to determine federal funding for schools, hospitals, roads, voting districts and more. So be sure to fill out and mail back your Census form or visit one of the Questionnaire Assistance Centers for help.

You can track St. Lucie County's Census return rate by checking the counter on the County's homepage in the upper-right-hand corner at www.stlucieco.gov. The goal is for a 75 percent mail participation rate.  Saturday, April 10 will be National Census "March to the Mailbox" Blitz Day with special events happening throughout St. Lucie County. More details about this event will be coming soon. Encourage everyone to mail back their forms, so our community can move forward.