LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY: Making people welcome in any language

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LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCYMaking people
welcome in any language
Gary Hanes
2014 Fair Month Housing Training
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NOT EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH

• Language other than English
• spoken at home age 5

Idaho HH 10.2
25.2 million or about 9 LEP population2010
Census
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LINGUISTICALLY ISOLATED HOUSEHOLDS

• These are households where no one over age 14
  speaks English very well

All HH Spanish HH
Idaho 2.2 21.3
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Languages in our school districts

• Boise 80-100
• Meridian 58
• Canyon County 12
• Twin Falls 21
• Why is this important?

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LANGUAGE ASSISTANCENEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• The City of Boises Analysis of Impediments to
  Fair Housing and its 2011-2015 Fair Housing Plan
  reported

72 of refugeessaid they received verbal interpretation of their apartment lease 14 reported no form of translation or having to obtain translation services themselves.
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LEGALUNDERPINNINGS

• Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
• U.S. Supreme CourtLau v. Nichols (1974)
• E.O. 13166 (2000)
• Federal Agency Guidelines
• HUD 2007 USDA - ?

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WHO MUST COMPLY?

• All agencies of the federal government
• All programs that receive federal assistance
• State and local agencies
• Subrecipients
• Private and nonprofit entities

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COVERAGE

• Coverage extends to a recipients entire program
  or activity, i.e., to all parts of a recipients
  operations. This is true even if only one part of
  the recipient receives the federal assistance.
• What are the implications of this?

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WHAT IS LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY?

• Persons who do not speak English as their primary
  language and who have a limited ability to read,
  write, speak, or understand English can be
  limited English proficient, or LEP, and may
  be entitled to no-cost, timely and competent
  language assistance.

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INTERPRETATION -- TRANSLATION

• Interpretation listening to something in one
  languageand orally converting it into
  another....
• Translationreplacement of written text from one
  language into an equivalent written text in
  another language. It ranges from a full
  translation of a document to a short translation
  of a description of a document.

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LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
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LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
LANGUAGE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN
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LANGUAGE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• FOUR FACTORS
• Number or of eligible LEP persons
• Frequency of contact with LEP persons
• Nature of the program, activity, or service
• Resources available and expected costs

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LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN

• Procedures for informing people of their language
  rights
• Procedures for identifying LEP persons
• How language assistance will be provided
• Docs to be translated schedule cost
• Staff training
• Etc.

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YOU MUST PROVIDE INTERPRETATION

• When the client is
• Assessed as being LEP and,
• The communication involves the meaningful access
  by a person to information or services

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General Notes on Interpretation

• There is a duty to inform a person of the right
  to free interpretation
• It is your duty to provide interpretation
• Interpretation must be competent, timely and free
  
• Remember the recorded phone greeting

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INTERPRETING CAUTIONS

• Using friends and familyespecially children to
  interpret
• Different dialects/cultural competency
• There is no safe harbor for interpretation!

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WHAT DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE TRANSLATED?
VITAL DOCUMENTS Those documents that are
critical for ensuring meaningful access by
beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries
generally and LEP persons specifically. Such as
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THERE IS SAFE HARBOR FOR TRANSLATION

• Are there other reasons to translate docs?

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A FEW WORDS ABOUTAFFIRMATIVE MARKETING

• The LNA may or may not inform your Affirmative
  Fair Housing Marketing Plan
• The AFHMP may indicate that to achieve the
  demographic occupancy goals that marketing
  information should be in more languages

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ButEnglish is the official language!

• In a jurisdiction where English has been declared
  the official language, a HUD recipient is still
  subject to federal nondiscrimination
  requirements, including Title VI requirements as
  they relate to LEP persons.

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WHY COMPLY?

• To expand your market
• To provide good customer service
• To comply with the law
• Ensure meaningful access
• Avoid disparate treatment
• To manage risk
• Avoid civil lawsuits and
• Fair Housing complaints

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CASE STUDY

• A Spanish-speaking tenant failed to recertify HH
  income. All written and oral communication was
  in English from the housing provider. The tenant
  was terminated and did not know her appeal
  rights.
• The housing provider did not have a LNA or LAP.
  There was bilingual staff, BUT no policy for its
  use.

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CASE STUDY - Outcome

• The housing provider
• Paid the complainant 25,000
• Adopted LEP Policy and completed a LNA and LAP
• Improved procedures (inc. interpretation)
• Translated documents
• Trained staff
• Conducted outreach

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RULES

• Put a Language Assistance Program in place,
  follow it, and
• Document!
• Document!
• Document!

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RESOURCES

• U.S. Department of Justice www.lep.gov
• www.gehanes.com
• -- Offers to Interpret
• -- Please Repair pamphlet
• -- In the News
• -- Connect on Linked In

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• 208-515-2185
• gary_at_gehanes.com
• www.gehanes.com

GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE IS WELCOME IN ANY LANGUAGE
Erik Kingston