HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s public housing agency has agreed to take steps to remove language barriers for tenants after a Micronesian family that speaks little English almost got evicted when they didn’t understand the legal proceedings against them.
The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii announced the agreement with the Hawaii Public Housing Authority last week, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported (http://bit.ly/2aQkwRS). By settling, the state agency does not admit guilt but has agreed to award Valantin Sirom, and his wife, Sasinta Seremea, $2,000 in damages and strengthen its language access efforts.
Legal Aid had filed both state and federal complaints on behalf of the Chuukese couple and their family when they faced eviction after two hearings before the authority.
At the first hearing, their 17-year-old daughter tried to interpret for them but left halfway through the proceeding because she became upset, according to Legal Aid Attorney Reyna Ramolete Hayashi. The couple did not have an interpreter at the second hearing.
As part of the settlement agreement, the state agency has agreed to identify people with limited English proficiency and provide them with free interpretation services as needed. Those actions are listed in a Language Access Plan and Policy that took effect in October during settlement negotiations.
“We hope these new changes will help others like we have been helped, so other families will know their rights and won’t have to go through what we did,” Sirom said in a prepared statement.
The housing authority’s executive director was out of state, and his co-worker did not respond to requests for comment on the settlement.
“We work closely with the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and we want to thank them for taking really proactive measures in this case,” Hayashi said. “Our organization wants to make sure everybody has equal access to housing and other services to help families become self-sufficient.”
About a quarter of Hawaii residents speak a language other than English at home.