CHICAGO – Earlier this week, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) hosted mobile COVID-19 testing for over a hundred adults on the city’s West Side in a collaboration with Howard Brown Health, West Garfield Community Park Stakeholders, and Fathers Who Care.

“The older adults in my community are still struggling,” Van Pelt said. “The pandemic is still out there, and they still didn’t have access to necessary resources to stay alive. We wanted to do whatever we could to address that, hoping to provide some relief.”

Many residents at John Sullivan and Chicago Albany Terrace Apartments have been at a major disadvantage during this pandemic, with no access to transportation, food, and other resources, made worse by the limited access they had to their families.

Census workers were also in attendance, helping residents fill out the census on site in order to boost the region’s participation. In the 2010 Census, Black Americans were missed by a rate of 9% -- a rate higher than any other racial or ethnic group in our country.

“Time is running out to complete the census,” Van Pelt said. “This was an important event for seniors to get tested and get counted – both of which will ultimately better our communities.”

In light of calls for justice and equity across the nation, the census is more important now than ever before. Responding to the census is one way Illinoisans can push for social justice in their neighborhoods. Inaccurate data results in inadequate funding for underserved communities.

Anyone who hasn’t filled out the census can do so at my2020census.gov or expect to see census workers at their door around August 11.

People interested in donating resources for older adults can do so here.