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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor announces increased services for immigrants and refugees
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
6/20/2007 10:00:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Haddis Tadesse (206)684-8119
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor announces increased services for immigrants & refugees
More translation services, business training opportunities
and community-based
support
SEATTLE – Today Mayor Greg Nickels announced steps Seattle is taking
to improve services to Seattle's growing immigrant and refugee population.
Improved translation and interpretation services, technical assistance for
immigrant-owned businesses, increased access to city grants and an advisory
board focused on immigrant and refugee issues are just some of the actions
included in the mayor’s plan.
“Though the growing number of immigrants and refugees in Seattle come
from different parts of the world, they all share a desire to build a new and
better life in this country,” Nickels said. “I’m committed
to removing barriers to that better life and ensuring that this city serves
all of its residents equally. We all benefit when we are all included.”
“We welcome immigrants and refugees to Seattle. They bring new energy,
an eagerness to learn and work and to improve their lives,” said Councilmember
Tom Rasmussen, chair of the Housing, Human Services and Health Committee. “ Seattle
will work to eliminate any obstacles to their efforts to succeed.”
“We are delighted that the city is announcing this important immigrant
and refugee action plan,” said Pramila Jayapal, founder and executive
director of Hate Free Zone. “The city has provided critical support in
the past for immigrants and refugees, such as prohibiting city employees – including
police officers – from routinely asking for immigration status, and accepting
other forms of identification, such as Mexican identification cards. The city
has also strongly endorsed the call for comprehensive immigration reform. Our
communities have been calling for an action plan such as this, including the
component of a new Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Board, and we are very pleased
to see the city taking very seriously the need to provide immigrant communities
with improved access to city services.”
Drawn to freedom and opportunity in the United States, tens of thousands
of immigrants and refugees from around the world have made Seattle home. According
to the 2000 U.S. Census, Seattle is home to nearly 100,000 foreign-born individuals
from a host of different countries. If the population trends continue, there
could be as many as 120,000 foreign-born individuals in
Seattle by 2010, potentially 20 percent of Seattle's 2010 total population
projection.
Seattle is working to promote full participation of immigrants and refugees
in the economic, social and civic life of the city. In 2005, the city spent
$7.4 million on 75 targeted programs that provided counseling and family support,
education and English-as-a-second-language services, information and outreach.
The city knows it needs to do more. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive
strategy to better serve Seattle residents with limited English proficiency,
Nickels developed the Immigrant & Refugee Report and Action Plan.
The plan identifies issues and actions regarding:
- Access to services and information
- Protection of civil rights
- Civic engagement
- Work force and economic development
- Service delivery
Input provided by members of Seattle's immigrant and refugee communities,
city staff, community leaders and service organizations helped shape this plan.
And, because Seattle is not the only city grappling with these challenges,
city officials also took a look at what other governments are doing to meet
the needs of their immigrant and refugee communities.
The city now offers improved interpretation services over the phone and is
conducting a pilot translation/interpretation program at two neighborhood service
centers – Lake City and Southeast Seattle. Using special telephones,
interpreters will be available to help customers who visit either of these
service centers.
Last week, Nickels announced the newly renamed Customer Service Bureau (formerly
known as the Citizens Service Bureau) will now serve as an initial point of
contact for immigrants and refugees seeking city services. Telephone translators
will be available to all who call 684-CITY ( 2489) or visit the bureau’s
downtown office.
The city is also establishing an Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Board to
advise the mayor and City Council on relevant issues. The board is expected
to hold its first meeting in September. This is just one example of the city’s
plans to enhance its outreach efforts to immigrant and refugee communities.
In addition, the city will collaborate with community partners to develop
special courses on U.S. laws and customs and vocational English, and will make
citizenship assistance more available and provide more employment training
opportunities, which immigrants can access. Seattle will also make it easier
for small immigrant-and-refugee-run service organizations to apply for grants
to meet their communities’ needs. The city plans to work with East African
communities to assess community needs and strengthen their capacity to meet
those needs.
Earlier this year, the mayor signed an executive order to improve citywide
translation and interpretation services. For example, it calls for translating
vital documents, such as an explanation of city services, consent and complaint
forms, notices of rights, and notices of free language assistance into Spanish,
Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Somali, Tagalog and Korean. These are the
primary languages spoken by a substantial number of Seattle residents.
The new translation and interpretation policy complements the city’s
existing Web site which indexes documents that have been translated into one
or more languages. Twenty-five languages are represented. In 2006, the city
improved department access to in-house interpretation services. Multilingual
employees register to be part of an “Employee Language Bank,” which
lists those able to assist with the short-term, immediate language needs of
people seeking access to city services and programs.
The mayor’s plan can be reviewed viewed online at his Web site: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/rsji/immigrants/
Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives to promote transportation,
public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for
The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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