County, city create census group

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have assembled a diverse group of community members to serve as ambassadors ahead of the 2020 census.

Called the City-County Complete Count Committee, the group will “provide oversight for our county’s participation in the census” and “develop and implement a plan designed to target the unique characteristics of the county,” a news release said.

“We know from past experience that there is a mistrust about the census and, because of that, there has been specific groups that have been historically undercounted — particularly African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, children under the age of 5, and the poor,” county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.

“For many of the services that the county provides with federal funding, these groups are some of the most important to be counted.

“This effort is about reaching everyone to ensure that they’re counted as part of the 2020 census and we are grateful to these community members for being willing to help us reach that goal.”

The committee has 26 members and includes professionals from business, education, cultural, religious, health and other fields. It is co-chaired by Gregg Behr, executive director of the Grable Foundation; Betty Cruz, founder and All for All Project Director of the Change Agency; and Stefani Pashman, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

The committee plans to launch a website and hold outreach events and activities as the census nears.