OpportunityTitle: Limited English Proficiency Initiative (LEPI) Program
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants must be non-profit organizations, including, grassroots, faith-based, and other community-based organizations, that have the ability to provide training and other services directly to LEP communities, who could benefit from access to HUD programs.  Applicants must be able to provide place-based services to both HUD grantees and LEP residents.  Applicants will be required to locate an area that comprises a variety of HUD grantees, and identify the communities that will most benefit from LEP assistance.
Description: The purpose of the LEPI NOFA is to help ensure limited English proficient (LEP) communities have access to information in their native languages on HUD programs, services, and activities. In coordination with local HUD grantees, successful applicants will develop and conduct, workshops, training sessions, and/or disseminate LEP material to the targeted LEP communities. LEP individuals are persons who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. Examples of groups likely to include LEP individuals who are encountered and served by HUD grantees include, but are not limited to: (1) individuals who are seeking housing assistance from a public housing agency or assisted housing provider; (2) individuals seeking assistance for lead-based paint removal or abatement; (3) individuals seeking general fair housing information or information on how to file a housing discrimination complaint, housing-related training, social services, or any other assistance from HUD grantees. HUD programs include, but are not limited to HUD&#239;&#191;&#189;s Offices of Public and Indian Housing, Community Planning and Development, Sustainable Housing and Communities, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Policy Development and Research, Housing, and Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. LEP communities are groups of LEP individuals sharing a common language that are located within the intended area to be served and comprise part of the community intended to be served by HUD grantees. The objectives of the LEPI NOFA are to: (1) identify and meet the needs of the targeted LEP communities; (2) improve the participation of LEP individuals in HUD programs, services, and activities beyond the 12 month grant period; and (3) enhance the dissemination and communication of HUD programs, services, and activities in languages targeted to meet the needs of local communities.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Director
GrantorContactText: Pamela Walsh, Director, Office of Policy, Legislative Initiatives, and Outreach at 202-708-1145
CloseDateExplanation: This amendment announces that HUD has increased to $650,000 the amount of assistance made available by this NOFA.  HUD plans, as a result, to award six, and possibly seven, grants.  HUD has also determined that it needs flexibility to select applicants that have the capacity to provide language services in languages other than Spanish. As a result, HUD will select lower scoring applicants that have the capacity to provide language services in English and Chinese, in English and Korean, in English and Arabic, and other less prominent languages if the top scoring applicants only have capacity to provide language services in English and Spanish.    As a result, of these amendments, HUD is extending the deadline for the submission of applications to August 22, 2011.