A great deal of potential funding hangs in the balance; the census affects how more than $400 billion in
federal funding is distributed each year, according to the census Web site, 2010.census.gov.
Its data is also used to apportion Congressional seats.

Because so much federal funding is on the line, it's crucial for Columbus, Franklin County and the greater Central Ohio area to garner as much participation in the census as possible,
said Dan Williamson, spokesman for Mayor Michael Coleman.

"People need to know that they need to be counted," said Williamson.
"When it comes down to it, that's what really needs to be said in terms of the census."

But getting the desired level of participation isn't easy, officials have said.

Some groups -- among them homeless people, the poor, new and-or non-English-speaking residents and
senior citizens -- can be hard to reach.

In addition, some people just don't think the census affects them, said Bernice Cage,
public information officer for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.

"We rely on those numbers, so it's very important to us that they complete the census," Cage said.

The city, the county and MORPC all are involved in efforts to reach out to the community and encourage residents
to fill out the census survey.

A set of subgroups overseen by Columbus is tasked with addressing the city's various demographics and
encouraging one and all to complete the census.

"It's all about education, outreach and just having a team on the ground here to advise reaching some of the
harder-to-reach communities," said Mike Brown, urban ventures coordinator for Columbus.

The subgroups do not target just hard-to-reach populations, Brown said; they also target groups with large
memberships to ensure the necessary information gets to as many people as possible.

Such groups include religious institutions, school districts, neighborhood groups, new residents' efforts,
labor organizations, the media and even businesses, as one of the easiest ways to reach people is
through their workplaces, Brown said.

There also is a subgroup tasked with looking at city and human services, including outreach programs to
such groups as the homeless and senior citizens, bringing information to areas where those populations might be found.

"(For example), the city runs health clinics, (so) we should probably have information at the health clinics we run,"
Brown said.

This year's census is designed to be as easy as possible to fill out and return, said Cage.

"It's 10 questions, it's 10 minutes," she said.

The survey was kept relatively short to help remove people's concerns about providing their personal information,
and it is a federal offense for anyone to share that information once it's been submitted, Brown said.

"There are only positive consequences to being counted," Williamson said.

Meanwhile, the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour is scheduled to run through Central Ohio this week.

Stops on the tour include:

* La Michoacana,
2175 Morse Road in north Columbus, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Jan. 13;

* La Plaza Tapatia,
4233 Shoppers Lane in west Columbus, from 3 to 6 p.m. today, Jan. 13;

* Ohio State University's Recreation and Physical Activity Center,
337 W. 17th Ave., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14;

* The Schottenstein Center,
555 Borror Drive, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14;

* The main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library,
96 S. Grant Ave. Downtown, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15; and

* The Church of Christ of Apostolic Faith, 1
200 Brentnell Ave. in east Columbus, from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 15.

It is already expected to have hit downtown Columbus Monday, Jan. 11, and Newark and Delaware Tuesday, Jan. 12.

The tour vans are intended to educate the public on the particulars of the census
as well as its wide-ranging effects and to encourage participation in it.

Those interested in more information on local census efforts can find it on the state census Web site,
census.ohio.gov