Big cities around the world are facing increased pricing, gentrification, and a lack of equitable resources for the most vulnerable populations. Luckily, non-profit organizations, law schools, and community activist groups have been coming together to help local residents navigate this difficult landscape.
However, as many communities are multicultural and multilingual, this adds an extra layer of complications to the process.
This is exactly why Global YNS has been partnering with local DC Housing Cooperatives to help alleviate the situation. Through our interpretation services, we’re helping tenants learn their rights, find dignified housing opportunities, and fight back against greedy investors.
So in this article, we’ll dive deep into the unique housing crisis in DC, how organizations are overcoming challenges, and how Global YNS is providing affordable interpretation services to incorporate language justice into this battle.
If you’d like to talk to our team about interpretation services – reach out here. Otherwise, keep on reading.
For the last several years, the housing crisis in Washington D.C. has been exacerbated. While the city was already expensive, the cost of living has skyrocketed, which has placed an additional burden on the city’s residents
At the moment, we’re facing the following obstacles:
● Affordable housing is difficult to find
● Poor maintenance endangers families
● Rapid gentrification increases cost of living
● Investors are buying up land and resources
The combination of gentrification, purchases from investment companies, and the lack of governmental support means that the housing crisis is more serious than ever.
Naturally, there are many organizations rallying to improve the situation for the city’s most vulnerable
One of the primary tools that DC Housing Cooperatives has is the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), passed in 1980. This gives residents the legal right to purchase their buildings.
However, this is a complicated legal battle that residents are unable to handle on their own. That’s why many DC Housing Cooperatives are helping tenants get organized, run meetings, and navigate this complicated legal process.
And while many cooperatives, law schools, and activist associations are helping fight back, there are still many obstacles to navigating this legal landscape:
● Language diversity
● Mistrust of the system
● Lack of resources
● Fighting against giant investors
One of the biggest struggles for DC Housing Cooperatives is the ability to reliably provide information to residents.
According to a US Government Census, 21.7% of families speak a language other than English at home.
Which means these housing cooperatives need support communicating with non-English speakers – especially when it comes to complicated and technical language such as:
● Legal documents
● Financial statements
● Court processes
● Housing rules
That’s why at Global YNS, we’re partnering with these organizations to provide translation and interpretation services.
Together, we can help build rapport with tenants, provide them with the information they need, and continue to fight for housing and language justice.
We offer local professional interpreters who have robust knowledge in topics related to fighting housing injustice.
From knowledge on housing systems, regulations, and local laws – we’re able to make sure that tenants are getting the necessary information communicated to them accurately.
At the moment, our most commonly requested languages for simultaneous interpretation are:
● Spanish
● Vietnamese
● Amharic/Ethiopian
● French
● Chinese
● Korean
● Arabic
● American Sign Language (ASL)
We also understand that housing cooperatives often need to host meetings at difficult times. Whether that’s on the weekend, in entry halls, or even in a resident’s basement – our interpreters will adapt to the circumstances to help the community.
Our pricing model is based on the principles of social and economic justice.
In other words, we use a sliding scale system, where we charge organizations based on a small percentage of their income.
We also offer pro bono services and discounts to economically disadvantaged communities.
This allows us to help those who need it the most. We trust that our equitable model will give our community access to a premium interpretation service they deserve, based on the resources they have available.
So if you are an organization or community fighting for housing access for DC residents – don’t hesitate to reach out.
We handle each interpretation service on a case-by-case basis, always valuing accessibility and language justice above all else.
At Global YNS, we’re proud of our world-class team of interpreters. We’re proud to partner with non-profits that are helping make this world a better, more equitable place to live.
Our commitment to language justice overlaps with the fight for equitable housing. So if your organization needs interpretation services to properly support a local community – don’t hesitate to reach out.
Together, we’ll continue to fight for language and housing justice for DC residents. Contact our team today.
Contact our team today.
GLOBAL YNS
Offering Superior Language Solutions,
Where quality is our Priority