Department: County Administration
Department Head/Elected Official: Diana Ramirez, County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Grant
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Houston Endowment
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval to accept an award from the Houston Endowment, Inc., for grant funds in the amount of $515,000, with no required match, for the Language Access Office program.
end
Background and Discussion:
Harris County Demographics
According to the US Census Bureau, 26.2% of Harris County's 4,780,913 residents are foreign-born with an estimated 11.2% (194,950) of households in Harris County being "limited English speaking" and 851,708 residents who speak English less than "very well." The US Census Bureau also reported that net international migration in Harris County increased rapidly, from 13,919 in 2020-2021, to 37,268, in 2021-2022. The 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) indicates that the following are the most frequently used non-English languages spoken at home in Harris County:
1. Spanish,
2. Vietnamese,
3. Chinese,
4. Arabic, and
5. French.
Language Access Federal Requirements
Language access is mandated at the federal level through Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," which prohibit any program or activity receiving federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, and national origin. Both Title VI and Executive Order 13166 mandate that recipients of federal funding provide meaningful access to their programs for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).
The enforcement of these federal requirements...
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