Oregon Housing and Community Services awarded a Homeownership Language Access and Community Outreach and Engagement Grant in mid-July to Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity.
The funds outlined in the grant will be used to address the racial disparities and language barriers to homeownership in NAHFH’s service area (Newberg, Sherwood, Dundee, Dayton, and St. Paul) by increasing the visibility and assistance to our communities of color and underserved populations. In other words, the grant awarded will assist with facilitating language access to local residents with limited English proficiency or a language-related disability.
In 2018, the state of Oregon organized a taskforce to study the trends of homeownership and then compile data that outlined the barriers communities of color and underserved populations experienced when starting the homeownership process. During the 2020 legislative session, this taskforce set forth recommendations that included technical and financial assistance that needed to be developed for nonprofits and culturally specific organizations.
It was recommended that these organizations provide services toward homeownership that would support these populations. Therefore, OHCS and the state of Oregon developed the Language Access and Community Outreach and Engagement Grant to provide funds to these nonprofits.
To be eligible for the LACOE Grant, the recipient had to be a nonprofit organization, a housing authority, a local government agency or a federally recognized Indian tribe that owned land within the state of Oregon. Also, the recipient had to sponsor or manage homeownership programs and services that assisted households with income at or below 100% of the Area Median Income. NAHFH builds homes for those within 25-60% of AMI and repairs homes for those under 80% of AMI.
Eligible activities were outlined in two categories: Language Access and Community Outreach Engagement. A list of eligible activities included but are not limited to the following:
Translation programs and outreach materialsInterpretation servicesInforming the public about availability of languageDeveloping a language access planPromoting homeownership through culturally responsive marketingBuilding and strengthening relationship within communities of color and underserved populationsTraining to increase organizational knowledge and skills
These eligible activities will allow the affiliate to purchase signs for the NAHFH office and the ReStore in Spanish and allow for translated signs within the store.
Written materials, the website, and social media will also be translated to be more culturally inclusive. For example, NAHFH intends to add website functionality allowing for translation into multiple languages and accessibility for those with disabilities such as visual impairment.
NAHFH will have the opportunity to partner with local media providers to create video, audio, and printed materials that will allow culturally inclusive communication to all populations within the affiliate’s service area.
The maximum amount of each awarded grant was $70,000. Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity was awarded $60,670.
There are two limitations attached to the grant funds. First, the administrative cost limit is 10% of the grant expenditures. Secondly, the staff time costs are limited to 13% of the grant expenditures. This ensures that the majority of the funds are used to assist the communities of color and underserved populations in navigating the pathway to homeownership.
The grant funds are divided quarterly throughout the year. Each quarter, NAHFH will be required to spend funds and then report how the funds were spent. Examples of questions that are part of each report:
Describe the work done on Language, Community Outreach and/or Engagement.How often did the organization use an interpreter?What languages were used?Share your challenges.
Watch and stay tuned. There will be service implementations quarterly.
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