CENSUS BUREAU TO OPEN ASSISTANCE CENTERS

The Census Bureau is slated to open assistance centers in Cape Girardeau and Jackson today in an effort to help area residents who have questions or need help in completing their Census forms.

The centers will be open through April 8.

The centers will be housed at the Jackson Nutrition Center, Cape Girardeau City Hall and the Greater Dimension Church in Cape Girardeau.

Trained volunteers will staff the centers. The Cape Girardeau Census office, in conjunction with Southeast Missouri State University's International Center, will provide language interpreters as needed.

Census Bureau officials said some people will need language assistance. Others may need help in completing the questionnaires because of low literacy skills or physical problems, they said.

Ellen Brandom, local Census office manager, said, "We think people will feel more comfortable having a local contact to go to for questions."

The centers could encourage more people to fill out the forms, she said.

More than 270,000 Census questionnaires are slated to be mailed or hand delivered to 31 counties in Southeast Missouri this week, Brandom said.

Brandom said 130 volunteers have been trained to assist with the Census.

The Census Bureau also has established a "Be Counted" program to ensure a more accurate count in areas that have been undercounted in the past.

"Be Counted" census forms will be available from March 31 through April 10 at Jackson City Hall, the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Cape Girardeau Senior Center.

The questionnaires will be available from special containers placed at community sites. The forms will be available in English as well as additional languages where needed.

Census Bureau officials said the "Be Counted" forms are a last resort for those who otherwise might not be counted in the 2000 Census, officials said.

Brandom said the "Be Counted" forms have the same questions as the regular Census forms but are in a different format.

Some "Be Counted" forms will be available in Spanish, particularly in agricultural areas of Southeast Missouri where there are migrant workers, Brandom said.

In all, Southeast Missouri will have about 125 assistance centers and "Be Counted" sites.

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

Assistance Centers

* Jackson Nutrition Center, 243-4241

* Cape Girardeau City Hall, 334-1212

* Greater Dimension Church, 334-0616

"Be Counted" Centers

* Jackson City Hall, 243-3568

* Cape Girardeau Public Library, 334-5279

* Cape Girardeau Senior Center, 335-1352