Brooklyn Undercounted, Officials Claim

With millions of dollars in federal funding on the line, Brooklyn officials are calling foul on new Census numbers that set the population at 8.175 million people rather than the 8.4 million that locals supposed.

1 minute read

April 7, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

WNYC talks with Afreen Alam, a worker with the Chhaya Community Development Corporation that believes the undercount happened because census workers didn't understand the "housing underworld":

"People who double up, people who are afraid to talk because of the documentation status or even social stigma, even if you are documented but you can't afford to live in an apartment by yourself, you have three other families living with you," she said.

"I think census failed to capture that hidden population," she said. "Unfortunately they will remain hidden."

FULL STORY: Census Workers Unable to Access 'Housing Underworld,' Some Say

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 in WNYC

Social / Demographics New York Brooklyn Census

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