LANGUAGE ACCESS
During COVID-19
Reality hit at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and exposed existing health and social service inequities across the nation . As Americans struggled to protect and provide for their essential needs , many immigrants and vulnerable communities faced additional and insurmountable barriers — language , physical , technology , digital and more — to accessing timely , accurate information on food , housing , education , health care , financial assistance , testing , vaccinations , and other critical services . Small , immigrant-owned businesses , the heartbeat of many communities , often received translated information after available resources were exhausted . As communications shifted to virtual and digital platforms , people with disabilities as well as deaf and hard of hearing communities faced additional barriers to accessing critical information and services . Victims of anti-Asian American Pacific Islander ( AAPI ) hate , domestic violence and other crimes often found themselves struggling to find adequate language assistance , resources , and emergency response .
The Continuing Need for
Community-Focused LANGUAGE ACCESS
Over 350 different languages are spoken in the United States . One in five U . S . residents speaks a language other than English at home and over 25.1 million U . S . residents over the age of five are considered Limited English Proficient ( LEP ). In San Francisco , one in every three residents is an immigrant , 43.1 percent or over 377,108 people speak a language other than English at home , and more than 170,617 residents identify as LEP . 2
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2
United States Census Bureau ’ s 2015-2019 American Community Survey .