*One third of the residents are immigrants in San Mateo.
Do you identify yourself as an immigrant? If so, the County Board of Supervisors wants to hear from you.
San Mateo County has launched a survey in 12 languages to help assess its services, as well as to learn about the needs of its residents, since according to its reports, one out of every three residents is an immigrant.
The survey is not only for local residents, but for all those who work or attend school here.
"Situated on the edge of the Pacific Rim, our county is among the most dynamic and diverse in the United States. Our first-generation immigrants alone could fill Oracle Park more than six times over," said Don Horsley, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors.
It is vital that we listen to as many as possible to help ensure that we are providing the services that our immigrant residents and our immigrant workforce deserve and need," he said.
According to a press release, this is the county's most ambitious and comprehensive effort in recent memory to hear about the needs of immigrants in San Mateo, in their own language.
The survey is available online and in print in 12 languages: Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi, Tongan and English.
All responses to the 36 questions are anonymous and confidential, so no personal identifying information will be requested or needed.
The county said that once the survey closes in four to six weeks, Stanford University's Gardner Center for Youth and Communities will compile the responses, which will help create the county's first Immigrant Inclusion Strategic Plan.
It should be noted that the process is being coordinated by the Office of Community Affairs in cooperation with a comprehensive steering committee.
"Having a countywide immigrant integration plan is crucial to guide our work in the years ahead," said Miriam Yupanqui, steering committee member and executive director of Nuestra Casa, a nonprofit family-serving organization based in East Palo Alto.
"I look forward to sharing my ideas and learning from my peers about how we can create a more inclusive community," he stressed.
In addition to online, surveys to learn about the needs of immigrants in San Mateo will also be available in print at selected local public agencies and non-profit organizations.
In 2020, the San Mateo County Office of Community Affairs received a Gateways for Growth grant, a nationally competitive opportunity for localities to receive research and technical assistance support from the New American Economy and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in our communities.
Those interested in taking the survey can access the form directly by clicking here. click here.
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