Laserfiche WebLink
PART III: IMPROVING ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH LIMITED <br />ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) <br />2-III.A. OVERVIEW <br />Language for Limited English Proficiency Persons (LEP) can be a barrier to accessing important <br />benefits or services, understanding and exercising important rights, complying with applicable <br />responsibilities, or understanding other information provided by the HCV program. In certain <br />circumstances, failure to ensure that LEP persons can effectively participate in or benefit from <br />federally-assisted programs and activities may violate the prohibition under Title VI against <br />discrimination on the basis of national origin. This part incorporates the Final Guidance to <br />Federal Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition against National Origin <br />Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons, published January 22, 2007, in the <br />Federal Register. <br />The PHA will take affirmative steps to communicate with people who need services or <br />information in a language other than English. These persons will be referred to as Persons with <br />Limited English Proficiency (LEP). <br />LEP is defined as persons who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a <br />limited ability to read, write, speak or understand English. For the purposes of this administrative <br />plan, LEP persons are HCV applicants and participants, and parents and family members of <br />applicants and participants. <br />In order to determine the level of access needed by LEP persons, The PHA will balance the <br />following four factors: (1) the number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served or <br />likely to be encountered by the Housing Choice Voucher program; (2) the frequency with which <br />LEP persons come into contact with the program; (3) the nature and importance of the program, <br />SAHA and costs. Balancing these four factors will ensure meaningful access by LEP persons to <br />critical services while not imposing undue burdens on the PHA. <br />2-III.B. ORAL INTERPRETATION <br />In a courtroom, a hearing, or situations in which health, safety, or access to important benefits <br />and services are at stake, the PHA will generally offer, or ensure that the family is offered <br />through other sources, interpretation free of charge to the LEP person. <br />SAHA Policy <br /> <br />SAHA will analyze the various kinds of contacts it has with the public, to assess language <br />reasonable where the costs imposed substantially exceed the benefits. <br />SAHA has bilingual staff to assist non-English speaking families in Spanish and <br />Vietnamese and translates some documents into Spanish and Vietnamese. <br />Where LEP persons desire, they will be permitted to use, at their own expense, an <br />interpreter of their own choosing, in place of or as a supplement to the free language <br />services offered by SAHA. The interpreter may be a family member or friend. <br />Page 2-9 <br /> <br />04/01/14 <br /> <br />