Churches to aid in census effort

Sacred Heart/St. Columba's and St. Luke's will serve as Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QAC) where people can receive information and get help in filling out census paperwork.

Volunteers at the QACs will be sworn to uphold strict confidentiality, so residents should feel comfortable about coming to them for help, according to Rev. Dominic Isopo, St. Luke's pastor.

"I think a lot of them have this underlying fear that when the government starts asking questions, they're in trouble," he said. "I see this as a form of community service that St. Luke's can offer."

Ecumenical effort

Mayor Al Jurczynski asked pastors to encourage their congregants to be counted in the census because "there's no self-interest, other than improving the lot of their flock," said James Baldwin, local Census manager, whose area includes Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties.

At the QACs, residents can ask how to fill out census paperwork or why they must answer certain questions, he explained, and volunteers will be able to help people when there's a language barrier.

Efforts are particularly aimed at making sure that minorities, who are traditionally undercounted, are figured in the Census. Sacred Heart/St. Columba's has many Latino parishioners, and having the rectory as a QAC should help in getting the most accurate count.

"This is the first time we've put a big emphasis on everyone being counted, and we're trying to do as accurate a job as we can," Mr. Baldwin said.

Churches' role

"The Census is doing a lot more this year -- more promotion, anything to raise people's awareness," he said. "It's a full-court press, which I commend them for."

Having churches serve as QACs should help people feel less nervous about taking part in the process. "A church is a comfortable place for people to come with their questions," Rev. Grigsby said.

Parish priority

Father Hogan also hopes that the hundreds of people who come to Sacred Heart/St. Columba's for assistance each week, including legal and illegal immigrants, understand that the Census is confidential and there's no need to worry about participating.

"There has always been a fear that this information will be sent to Social Services, the IRS or INS, and our guidance is meant to allay those fears," he said.

At St. Luke's, the school gymnasium will be used as the QAC, and Father Isopo wants people to know that if more Schenectady residents are counted in the Census, more government funding should come the city's way.

"It really behooves them to participate in this," he said.

(Sacred Heart/St. Columba's and St. Luke's will be used as QACs primarily during April. Other parishes interested in serving as QACs should contact James Baldwin at 464-4042.)

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