Breaking Barriers to Food Access for Communities with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

California is home to millions of people who communicate in over two hundred different languages. Given the diverse experiences of our communities, it’s crucial that Californians can  access the food they need and that our state’s safety net systems foster inclusion and belonging for all.. Yet, 1 in 5 Californians faces language barriers when accessing safety net programs – including food assistance. When information is unclear, inaccurate, or not easy to read it creates unnecessary hardships for older adults, immigrants, and other communities. These challenges not only impact those whose first language is not English, but also native English speakers. 

Through this seed campaign, we aim to do some deep listening to better understand the barriers for LEP communities in accessing food and other critical resources. Our focus will be to center the experiences, needs, and voices of impacted communities as we work with the state to address language access challenges and plans to improve language access through new technology. We also plan to co-create policy solutions with community partners and members to ensure that language barriers don’t create additional hardships.