Housing is essential and extremely important. d.
The SFHA's resources and the cost of providing meaningful access. Reasonable steps may cease to be reasonable where the costs imposed substantially exceed the benefits. The SFHA will utilize SFHA bi-lingual staff, outside translation/interpretation services, community volunteers or family members of LEP persons.
LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE a.
A person who does not speak English as their primary language and who has a limited ability to read, write, speak or understand English may be a LEP person and may be entitled to language assistance with respect to SFHA programs and activities.
b.
The SFHA staff will take reasonable steps to provide the opportunity for meaningful access to LEP clients who have difficulty communicating in English. The SFHA staff will use the LEP poster to identify the language spoken/written by the applicants/participants. Staff will then use the translation certification at every recertification to update the translation/interpretation services needed for each household.
c.
The SFHA will assess client needs for language assistance based on requests for interpreters and/or translation, as well as the literacy skills of clients. The Translation Certification Form will be used annually during recertification (and initial eligibility) to determine and update the SFHA computer system.
d.
Should the language spoken/written by the client not be readily available the contracted vendor will be used to communicate.
Written Translation a.
The SFHA will weigh the costs and benefits of translating documents for potential LEP groups, considering the expense of translating the documents, the barriers to meaningful translation or interpretation of technical housing information, the likelihood of frequent changes in documents, the existence of multiple dialects within a single language group, and other relevant factors. The SFHA will undertake this examination when an eligible LEP group constitutes 5 percent of an eligible client group. Currently the SFHA translates documents into Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish Should the language not be readily available the contracted vendor will be used to communicate with the client.
b.
The SFHA will attempt to translate all letters sent to program applicants and participants that are vital to obtaining and maintaining housing. The following are the SFHA‘s ‗vital documents‘: