The Southern Seven Health Department is one of the lead agencies in coordinating the 2020 Census count in the area.
The Ullin-based organization hosted an informational luncheon Wednesday.
Lynden Schuyler is the Census Program Director for the southern 20 counties. She says during the last census in 2010, it's estimated statewide, Illinois' participation rate was just 57-percent. Schuyler says that cost the state over $122 million and around $12 million just in the southern seven counties.
"It is huge. In just the southern seven alone, the poverty rate varies I think from 33 to 52 percent in these southern seven counties. You think of all the dollars, all the programs that those dollars mean, it really is staggering."
Cairo Mayor Thomas Simpson says that can't happen again.
"The number of people you have, you're looking at the amount of funding you get for all types of programs. You're looking at schools. You're also looking on the political end as far as representatives on the congressional level. We want to make sure that everyone is counted and want to get the word out how important it is."
Bobi Cavins is leading Southern Seven's promotional effort.
"We're going to be hitting up the pizza joints to help us get the word out. We are doing Census Days at our Head Start sites and our clinic sites on April 1. Then, every Saturday in April, we're going to have a census event at our clinics."
Census mailings start in a couple of weeks. The entire process should wrap up in August.
