MADISON, Wis. -- In many mailboxes around the country, the 2010 U.S. Census forms have arrived. The forms are being mailed to every household in the nation.

Although the census is vitally important for many reasons, some folks are afraid to be counted. Burgess Brown helps run Safe Haven, a facility that gives people in Madison with mental illnesses a temporary place to stay.

He said the relationships that his staff have developed with the guests is key to getting patients feeling comfortable about being counted.

"A lot of people have diagnoses that make them skeptical of answering certain questions," said Brown. "A lot of them will need to be coached through and reassured that what they are filling out is not someone prying into their personal past or history."

Anyone with questions about the U.S. Census can call Madison's local U.S. Census headquarters at 608-327-5620.