2010 Census GQV Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct the Group Quarters Validation (GQV) Operation for the 2010 Census under the generic clearance for the Master Address File (MAF) and Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) update activities OMB number 0607-0809.

Group Quarters (GQs) are places where people live or stay in a group living arrangement that are owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. This is not a typical household-type living arrangement. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in Group Quarters are usually not related to each other.

The Census Bureau counts people where they live or stay most of the time. Places where people live or stay are called living quarters (LQs). There are two kinds of living quarters. The most familiar are housing units (HUs). The others are called group quarters (GQs). Earlier in the year, the Address Canvassing Operation was conducted. This operation listed every place where people live or stay or could live or stay and also assign each LQ a code that identifies each LQ address as an HU or Other Living Quarters (OLQs). OLQs are potential GQs. These are the places the GQV Lister will visit. During GQV, the Lister conducts an interview at each OLQ address to determine if the OLQ has any GQs. However, it is possible that the OLQ may be an HU or nonresidential, vacant or transient address. If the address is a GQ or transient location, the Lister will collect information about it. If an address has both GQs and HUs, the Lister will collect information about HUs as well.

The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct the Group Quarters Validation Operation throughout the United States and Puerto Rico beginning September 28, 2009 through October 23, 2009.

The GQV operation, which supports the Census Bureau’s strategic goal of compiling a complete and accurate MAF for the 2010 Census, is designed to verify and classify addresses identified as Other Living Quarters during the 2009 Address Canvassing operation. The addresses will be classified as a GQ, HU, or ‘not a living quarters’. If the address is a GQ, the Lister will label it with the correct type code, (e.g. college residence hall or skilled nursing unit). Listers will use the D-351 GQV Questionnaire to list address information and assign type codes for each GQ in their workload. GQV creates the universe for the follow-up operation of Group Quarters Advance Visit when the Census informs the GQ facilities of enumeration procedures and Group Quarters Enumeration when we count the residents of identified GQs.

During the Group Quarters Validation Operation for the 2010 Decennial Census, we expect to validate address information at approximately 1,300,000 OLQs. It will take Census Listers approximately 10 minutes to complete the GQV questionnaire for each address for a total of 216,667 hours of respondent burden.

All information that identifies individuals will be held in strict confidence according to the provisions of Title 13, United States Code, Section 9. When contact is made, the Lister will provide a Confidentiality Notice that provides information on the confidential nature of Census Bureau data. This notice explains that any information given to the Census Bureau will be held in strict confidence. None of the questions asked during the listing are of a sensitive nature and there is no cost to respondents other than that of their time to respond.

The contact person for questions regarding this operation is:

Louis Avenilla

Chief, Group Quarters Branch

Field Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233

(301) 763-2046