Missouri residents should begin receiving invitations to respond to the 2020 Census any day now, said Melissa Stickel, executive director of Community Partnership in Cape Girardeau.

Stickel was appointed by Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox to head the local census efforts, and Community Partnership, formerly Community Caring Council, was awarded an access grant from Missouri Foundation for Health.

"The way our agency intersects with the public, organizations and businesses, it just makes sense that it's important, because of what we do," Stickel said.

"The most significant change to this year's census is it's primarily online," Stickel said. "In past, it was paper only."

At my2020census.gov, respondents can fill out the questionnaire, but there are other options. Respondents can request a paper copy or to complete the questionnaire by phone, Stickel said.

Or, if there's no internet access at home or people need some help filling it out, they can come by the Community Partnership office at 937 Broadway, suite 306, in Cape Girardeau. The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center at 1121 Linden Street in Cape Girardeau can also provide assistance, she said.

"Missouri in general has pockets of hard-to-count areas," Stickel said. Rural, or non-English-speaking, or high poverty all contribute to the difficulty statewide, she said.

"In Southeast Missouri, ours is predominantly the rural nature of the area, and poverty," Stickel said.

Stickel said it will be interesting to see how the online option pans out.

"And, with the coronavirus scare, that will also be interesting," Stickel said. "If people aren't filling it out online, our workers are going door to door, and will people not answer the door?"

Stickel said census workers will be easily identifiable, and will be approaching non-responding households beginning in early May. They'll have an official badge and clothing, with a bag displaying the official census logo.

"The first thing they'll do is show their badge," Stickel said.

Census questions don't include asking about Social Security numbers, or political or religious affiliations, Stickel said: "If you have someone asking outside the standard census questions, don't answer them."

Stickel said by law, census responses are confidential. Responses won't be shared with landlords or with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"There is not a question about immigration status on the census," Stickel added.

Stickel said only the members residing in a household as of April 1 should be included, so if the household includes college students who live on campus and not at home, those students should be counted at school only.

Same goes for residents of group homes, such as domestic violence shelters or assisted living facilities. Staff at the facility is responsible for that count, she said.

Homeless individuals are counted on April 1, as well, Stickel said, if they're living here that day.

Being counted is important for several reasons, Stickel said.

State congressional districts, even school districts, all trickle down from the census count, Stickel said.

"Missouri lost a seat last year because of population changes," Stickel said. "If we're not being counted, we're also being underrepresented."

The census was included in the United States Constitution to ensure the one person, one vote rule, Stickel said.

"It's estimated that Missouri will lose between $1,300 and $2,000 per (uncounted) person in federal funding per year," Stickel said.

It adds up. For a household with two adults and three children, that could mean as much as $10,000 lost.

That funding goes toward hospitals, roads, school funding, not-for-profit agencies and more, she added.

"We need every dollar we can get to serve all the programs and get infrastructure we need," Stickel said. "It's population based, not whether we deserve it. If we're not counting our population, we'll get less than we deserve, and do our locale a disservice."

Stickel said anyone with questions can call Community Partnership at (573) 651-3747.