HUD HCV Guidebook § 4

English Proficiency (LEP)
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, recipients of Federal financial assistance have a responsibility to ensure
meaningful access to programs and activities by persons with limited English proficiency (LEP persons).
Executive Order 13166, signed August 11, 2000, directs Federal agencies whose programs are subject to
Title VI to ensure that programs receiving Federal financial assistance provide meaningful access to LEP
persons. All Federal agencies, including HUD, were also directed to issue LEP guidance based on Title VI and
this executive order, and HUD issued a final notice of guidance in the Federal Register on January 22, 2007.
This guidance provides PHAs with a framework to integrate, formalize, and assess their LEP efforts.122 In
2016, HUD also issued guidance on the Fair Housing Act protections against national origin discrimination for
LEP persons, explaining that language-related policies that are intentionally discriminatory or that have an
unjustified discriminatory effect violate the Fair Housing Act.123 . This guidance applies to PHAs, as well as
housing providers, including private housing providers who rent to voucher holders.

Some PHAs operate in jurisdictions where English has been declared the official language. However, these
PHAs must still comply with Federal nondiscrimination laws. By not providing full and meaningful access to
persons with limited English proficiency, the PHA would be discriminating based on national origin.124