How Harris County is trying to speak residents’ language
More than 145 languages are spoken across Greater Houston—a reflection of the region’s diversity. But that diversity also presents a challenge for local government: How does a resident prepare for an emergency, navigate the court system or access a public health service if the information they need isn’t available in a language they understand?
In 2024, the language access team in Harris County’s Office of County Administration (OCA) set out to answer this question. With support from a two-year Houston Endowment grant, the team began building a more consistent approach to serving residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) by establishing standards, identifying gaps, and working directly with residents to understand their needs.
Two years later, the work reached a significant milestone: Harris County Commissioners Court moved funding for the language access team into the county’s general fund, helping to ensure the effort would continue beyond the initial grant period.
“We're nowhere near done … but it's been very exciting and fun and fulfilling finally being able to build something like this from the ground up for the county,” said Sarah Imran, language access analyst for Harris County’s OCA. “I know lots of our staff feel the same way, and are just wanting to do better for our LEP residents.”
Setting the standard in Harris County
Imran explained the state of language access services prior to this undertaking.
“Language access was absolutely happening, but it was inconsistent and a little hodgepodge,” she said. “There weren't standard approaches, clear roles, best practices, or procedures to deliver services.”
To establish consistency, five departments—Harris County Public Health, Harris County Public Library, Harris County Office of Administration, 311, and Harris County Domestic Relations Office—were identified to be the first to create language access plans (LAPs), which act as roadmaps to serve residents who speak languages other than English.
Developing the plans required each department to document and standardize its language access practices, including identifying vital documents that should be translated. The process also revealed department-specific needs, such as bilingual pay incentives for multilingual employees.
“This is the first time the county has done something like this,” said Imran. “And these [LAPs] are absolutely intended to be living documents that will evolve with implementation and any countywide moves we may make in the future, demographic changes, and more.”
iSpeak Houston is the City of Houston’s hub for language resources, with one simple goal: make sure language is never a barrier to city information, services, and opportunities.”
The site brings the city’s language resources together in one place, including information about interpretation and translation services and other support.
“Think of it as the front door to the city’s language access resources,” said Fan.
Visit HoustonTexas.gov/ISPHouston(opens in new window) to explore iSpeak.
Listening to the community
LAPs were also informed by feedback from community members. Through focus groups, the language access team uncovered obstacles community members faced when communicating with the county’s various departments.
According to Imran, many residents with limited English proficiency expected to encounter a language barrier if they approached county government.
The key to overcoming this, Imran explained, was partnering with community organizations. “We also learned that they [LEP residents] would feel a lot more comfortable if we, as Harris County, collaborated more with community organizations to get the word out to residents since community organizations are already doing the heavy lift and groundwork to communicate and build trust with residents,” she said.
Today, these relationships have expanded. This summer, Imran was joined on a webinar by Zenobia Lai, Executive Director of Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative(opens in new window); Katie Fan, language access manager at the City of Houston(opens in new window); and Gislaine Williams, program officer at Houston Endowment, to discuss the partnerships community groups have formed to bolster language access throughout the region and to share available resources with nonprofits.
“We began this work after hearing from community organizations just how critical it is for public agencies to have strong language access programs,” said Williams. “It’s been incredible to see the county, city, and nonprofit groups have built strong relationships and embraced this work to best serve the residents of our region.”
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