Many Korean American seniors have suffered disadvantages due to the City of Los Angeles’ omission of Korean language assistance in the notifications sent to those on last year’s Section 8 voucher waiting list, leading to the cancellation of their vouchers.
This is in violation of federal and California state laws, as well as the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ (HACLA) own regulations. Korean language services are mandatory when sending documents or providing services in English.
According to the nonprofit K-Town Action, some seniors, whose vouchers were approved earlier, received revocation notifications for their vouchers because they couldn’t understand the English-only notices and didn’t take the necessary follow-up measures.
In fact, one Korean senior had her Section 8 voucher canceled, while another appealed the revocation and was granted a two-month extension on her voucher.
Hwang, who visited Ktown Action in September, had her request for a Korean language service interpreter denied, forcing her to call a friend to communicate with the Housing Authority staff.
Currently, Section 8 voucher forms on HACLA’s website are available only in Armenian and Russian, besides English and Spanish. The low-income apartment rental application site is also exclusively in English and Spanish.
There’s not even a sign at the LA Housing Authority office entrance for requesting a Korean interpreter, and the phone service lacks Korean language options. Even direct calls to staff members result in a denial of Korean language services.
“Even though they are obligated to provide Korean language services, they are not interested in doing so and completely ignore it,” said Dae Joong Yoon, president of Ktown Action. “There are many cases where people visiting the office asking for Korean interpretation are rejected.”
“For those without internet access, even approved voucher holders struggle due to the lack of support in opening an online bank account to utilize it. Too many Korean seniors face unfair discrimination.”
Under federal and state civil rights laws, language offerings depend on the population size served. For those with limited English proficiency, it should cater to at least 1,000 people or 5% of the population served. The 2022 Federal Census American Community Survey (ACS) showed that out of 93,329 ethnic Koreans in Los Angeles, 56,101, or 62%, have limited English proficiency.
A recent “State of Immigrants in LA County 2023” report by USC and the LA Community Foundation revealed that 48% of Korean Americans are the most linguistically isolated in the Asian community, higher than the Japanese (44%) and Chinese (42%).
Ktown Action attended HACLA’s regular board meeting on October 24 to protest the denial of Korean language services and advocate for their inclusion.
“About 20 people joined us to personally inform the board members about the current situation, demanding the necessary corrections to ensure that Korean Americans receive proper services,” said Yoon.
BY NICOLE CHANG, JUNHAN PARK [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
