Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is continuing his work to make government services accessible in more languages.
This week, Sen. Ossoff announced his latest push to improve access to vital housing resources for Georgians who speak languages other than English or Spanish.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman, Sen. Ossoff called for enhanced language services to ensure all Georgians can navigate federal housing programs effectively.
“HUD’s 2021-2026 Language Access Plan outlines important improvements to boost language access to housing services, but three years after the plan’s announcement, limited information has been published about the status of implementation of this plan, and HUD continues to rely on third-party translators for online services in languages other than English or Spanish. Moreover, translations over the phone into languages other than Spanish can be difficult to access,” Sen. Ossoff wrote. “In the midst of a housing crisis, it is vital to ensure Americans can easily access assistance from the Federal government for their housing needs.”
Sen. Ossoff’s letter to HUD emphasizes the importance of providing comprehensive language services, including translation of key documents, interpretation services for inquiries, and multilingual outreach efforts to reach diverse communities across Georgia.
Sen. Ossoff continues championing efforts to make government services accessible in more languages for Georgians facing language barriers.
In January, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Bilingual Public Safety Act to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve, build trust, and empower local police departments to recruit and retain bilingual police officers and overcome language barriers.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff urged Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director, Rohit Chopra, to protect Georgians from scams when sending money abroad by boosting public awareness about common scams targeting non-English speakers.
Sen. Ossoff led a group of 19 Senators urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to direct Federal agencies to update their Language Access Plans, helping ensure people whose primary language is not English can access critical information and resources in their preferred language.
Georgia is home to more than twenty diverse language communities, with Korean, Hindi, Vietnamese, and Spanish among the most spoken at home by Georgians whose first language is not English.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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