The US census has targeted Waltham?s immigrant and cultural communities for outreach programs to encourage all residents, including undocumented citizens, to be counted.

Tia Costello, the partnership coordinator for the US census bureau, said her department started reaching out to Waltham about a year ago, and will increase their efforts in the months leading up to March, when census forms go out in the mail.

Costello said it is important that immigrant communities understand what the census is and why they should participate. The more people who are counted in the census can lead to increased funding for local services and population counts can factor into city decisions such as where to build new schools and senior centers, she said.

However, she said some immigrants may be reluctant to fill out their 10-question form, particularly undocumented immigrants who may believe they will be deported if the government is aware of where they live.

?The import message is that the census is safe easy and important,? Costello said. ?We maintain your confidentiality, we don?t share that information with any other government agency ever.?

According to federal law, census information is kept confidential and census workers face stiff penalties if they leak or share anything.

The census bureau has reached out to faith-based and service-based organizations in Waltham in an attempt to disseminate that information and ease any fears people may have.

We’ve been educating those organizations about what the census is about, so they can carry that message. We?ve been giving out tool kits to pastors, ministers, and priests that they can incorporate into their weekly bulletins that they hand out in church,? she said.

Costello said her goal is to get everyone counted, and to encourage everyone to send in the forms by mail. In May, people will go door-to-door to seek out the people who did not mail back the forms.

When we do start to go door-to-door our intent is to hire locally,? she said. In addition to filling out their forms, she said she is encouraging people who speak multiple languages and immigrants to apply for jobs so there can be a diverse applicant pool, one that reflects the population in Waltham.