In the beginning of the year, Riis Settlement was selected for an award from the NYC Complete Count Fund to join a citywide effort to help ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census. Our team of outreach workers spread out across the community to build awareness about the census, promote its importance, and help fight the spread of mis- and disinformation. Even a global pandemic didn’t stop them: when in-person outreach was no longer feasible they pivoted to digital outreach to maintain the momentum. The team has canvassed every corner of Astoria and Long Island City, focusing much of their attention on the traditionally hard-to-count housing developments and basing a good deal of their outreach at local food distribution sites. To date, the self-response rate is 66.6% in Queensbridge, 64.7% in Ravenswood and 65.9% in Astoria Houses, compared to 59.5% citywide. With the clock ticking and only 2 weeks left to respond, our team will be ramping up its efforts in the days ahead to encourage even greater rates of participation.
While getting out the count has been a top priority for Riis, so too has encouraging community members to get tested. Last month, Riis was selected by Health + Hospitals Corps to promote its Test and Trace Initiative and to undertake public education regarding COVID-19 prevention. Our outreach team has been sharing critical information with residents on how they can access a free COVID test, disseminating PPE, and diligently educating the community on the benefits of wearing a face covering and maintaining physical distancing. Our hope is that through this work we can help to reduce the spread of the virus and keep our communities healthy and safe.
To find a free testing site near you, go to nyc.gov/covidtest or text “COVID TEST” to 855-48
