Census Bureau housing survey underway in Floral Park

Tom McCarthy
The Floral Park board of trustees will present its proposed budget on Wednesday, April 15, at 8 p.m. (Photo courtesy of the Village of Floral Park)

The Village of Floral Park said it was told last week that representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau are going door to door taking the American Housing Survey.

“I would just ask everyone that if you are contacted to participate in the survey to please make certain that the person coming to your door has the proper identification and is authorized by the Census Bureau,” Mayor Dominick Longobardi said in an interview.

According to an Aug. 28 village newsletter, residents who received a letter requesting that they participate will be contacted by a Census Bureau field representative to complete the survey.

The village said that the representative will always show an official identification or provide his or her name and interviewer code to confirm employment with the Census Bureau.

“If you aren’t sure the person coming to your door is who they claim to be, please don’t hesitate to call our Police Department right away,” Longobardi said.

The village said that things that the American Housing Survey will never ask are for one’s Social Security number, personal information via email, money or donations or credit card information.

Census Bureau representatives from the regional office did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the Census Bureau website, besides the census, which is conducted every 10 years, the agency collects many different kinds of statistics through other surveys. The American Housing Survey is one of the surveys.

According to the Census Bureau, the survey is to provide up-to-date information on housing quality and housing costs.

To measure housing quality, the survey includes questions about equipment breakdowns, leaks and other problems. There are also questions about garages, balconies and patios.

To measure housing costs, the survey includes questions about mortgage and rental costs, utility costs, and repair and remodeling costs. The survey also asks about the household, including basic demographic and income questions.

Longobardi is urging residents to look out for each other and to make sure that any “representative” going door to door is really part of the Census Bureau, saying, “I would also ask everyone to cooperate to the best of their ability to help in this task.”

 

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