Group Quarters

Privacy and Confidentiality

The federal government is the main user of
census data. Many federal laws require the use
of census data to distribute funding, monitor
important programs, and enforce laws against
discrimination. Below are some examples of
how the data are used:

The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to
protect your information. The Census Bureau is not
permitted to publicly release your responses in a
way that could identify anyone at your institution.
We are conducting this survey under the authority
of Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141, 193, 221, and
223. Federal law protects your privacy and keeps
your answers confidential (Title 13, U.S. Code,
Section 9). By law, the Census Bureau can only
use your responses to produce statistics. Per the
Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015,
your data are protected from cybersecurity risks
through screening of the systems that transmit
your data. For more information about how we
protect your information, please visit our Web
site at , and click on “Data
Protection and Privacy Policy” at the bottom of the
page.”

• States, cities, counties, and American
Indian reservations use census data to
plan programs, services, and development,
and enforce laws, regulations, and policies
against discrimination.
• Census data help communities understand
whether available housing meets the
needs of residents. When housing is not
sufficient or affordable, these data can help
communities enroll eligible households in
programs designed to assist them, and can
help communities qualify for grants as well.

D

• Businesses use census data to plan new sites
for warehouses, factories, and storefronts,
and recruit and hire workers.

AF

• Census data help communities and
organizations provide programs and
services that enable older adults, children,
and families to enroll in and be eligible for
housing, education, and financial assistance
programs designed to assist them.

R

• School districts use census data about
families and children to make long-term
building, staffing, and funding decisions.

T

Uses of Census Data

• Governments, communities, and
organizations use census data to qualify for
many federal grant programs that fund all of
these important programs and services.

Issued May 2017
OMB No. xxxx-xxxx: Approval Expires xx/xx/xxxx
DH-1184(SBE)

2018 Census Test
Service-Based Enumeration

How This Operation Works

• Meet with a staff person.
• Quickly count the people.

How You Can Help

99 Let your clients and staff know
when census enumerators will be
coming.
99 Assure residents and staff that
all information collected is
confidential.

99 Explain the importance of the 2018
Census Test to members of the
facility.
99 Remind staff of the upcoming
enumeration.

D

• Soup Kitchens
Offer meals for people experiencing
homelessness. These places may use service
lines or serve bag or box lunches.

• Visit the location or mobile van stops.

T

• Emergency and Transitional Shelters
for People Experiencing Homelessness
Where people experiencing homelessness
stay overnight. These include shelters that
operate on a first-come, first-served basis
where people must leave in the morning and
have no guaranteed bed for the next night,
shelters where people know that they have a
bed for a specified period of time, even if they
leave the building every day, and places that
provide temporary shelter during extremely
cold weather (such as churches). Examples:
missions, hotels and motels used as shelters,
and places for children who are runaways,
neglected, or experiencing homelessness.

On a set date, census workers will:

AF

The goal of Service-Based Enumeration (SBE) is to
include people in the 2018 Census Test who may
not be counted when we count people at their
homes. During the SBE operation, we count people
who receive services at the following types of
locations:

R

About Group Quarters Enumeration

A Census Bureau worker (enumerator) will count
people and collect data from people at each site.

• Regularly Scheduled Mobile Food Vans
Regularly scheduled to visit certain locations
to provide food to people experiencing
homelessness.

• Targeted Non-Sheltered Outdoor Locations
Where people experiencing homelessness live
without paying to stay.

99 Ensure that informed staff is on
duty the date of the enumeration.
99 Be sure there is a private area for
the enumerators to work.

About the 2018 Census Test
The Census Bureau is researching modern and
cost-efficient methods for everyone to exercise
their civic obligation to be counted in the 2020
Census.
The Census Bureau is committed to making the
mandatory once-a-decade headcount quick, easy,
and safe for all to participate.
The 2018 Census Test supports the goal of the
2020 Census, which is to count everyone once,
only once, and in the right place. Throughout
the decade, the Census Bureau has conducted
extensive research and testing to inform the
2020 Census design. The 2018 Census Test is
the culmination of that research, providing a rich
environment to test all major components of the
2020 Census.
For more information about the 2018 Census Test,
visit census.gov/2018censustest.