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Providing Services to Non-English Speaking Asian American Litigants

Providing Services to Non-English Speaking Asian American Litigants. Karin Wang, Asian Pacific American Legal Center March 2006. Challenges. Challenge - Demographics. California has the nation’s greatest language diversity 224 languages spoken

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Providing Services to Non-English Speaking Asian American Litigants

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  1. Providing Services to Non-English Speaking Asian American Litigants Karin Wang, Asian Pacific American Legal Center March 2006

  2. Challenges

  3. Challenge - Demographics • California has the nation’s greatest language diversity • 224 languages spoken • 40% speak a language other than English at home • Many Californians faceEnglish language barriers • More than 6 million (20%) do not speak English very well • California’s growth is driven by immigration • 44% of Latinos & 62% of Asian Americans are foreign-born

  4. Challenge - Demographics • AA/PIs have significant language barriers • Many speak language other than English at home • 79% of AA/PIs overall (18% of US population) • Many speak English less than very well • 43% of AA/PIs overall, but 63% of Vietnamese, 57% of Cambodians, 52% of Bangladeshi (8% of US population) • Many are linguistically isolated • 30% of AA/PI households overall, but 47% of Korean, 45% of Vietnamese (5% of US population)

  5. Challenge - Demographics • There is a strong correlation between high LEP rates & high poverty rates • Hmong: 61% LEP, 53% poverty • Cambodians: 56% LEP, 40% poverty • Overall California: 20% LEP, 14% poverty

  6. Challenge - Fear andLack of Knowledge • Many immigrants and refugees • Fear anything perceived to be a government agency • Lack familiarity with American legal concepts • Lack knowledge of legal aid providers, self-help centers

  7. Challenge - Lack of Resources • Insufficient funding at all levels • Lack of competent interpreters (ie, not enough trained legal interpreters) • Lack of sufficient human capital in many communities (eg, very small or newly emerging groups)

  8. ALLIP

  9. ALLIP - Basics • ALLIP: Asian Language Legal Intake Project • 4 languages: Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin), Korean, Vietnamese • 4 partners: • Asian Pacific American Legal Center • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles • Neighborhood Legal Services • Legal Aid Society of Orange County

  10. ALLIP - Mission & Goals • Mission: Provide centralized intake, advice & referral in 4 Asian languages • Goals: • Eliminate language as initial barrier to access • Provide single point of entry for legal assistance • Expand capacity of partner legal aids by increasing attorney staffing to take cases • Coordinate outreach among partners

  11. Keys to Success

  12. Principles of Successful Programs • Establish clear vision from the top • Create strong partnerships between legal aid/court program & community organizations • Engage in active outreach & education • Provide sufficient staffing • Provide single point of entry • Use self-help to complement other services • Utilize technology

  13. Karin Wang, Vice-President, Programs 213/977-7500 x234 kwang@apalc.org Juliet Stone, Supervising Attorney 213/977-7500 x344 jstone@apalc.org Asian Pacific American Legal Center: www.apalc.org ALLIP: www.apalc.org/allip Contact Information

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