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PAGE 61 <br />There are also implications for families trying to call to <br />receive services: <br />“Spanish-speaking families call… they’re being <br />directed in English as to what numbers to press and <br />they can’t really keep up with it. And they get to a <br />point where they don’t get an answer. So they stop <br />and it just adds all these layers as to why accessing <br />resources is so difficult for these families... All the <br />steps that they have to take…it adds so many more <br />layers than an English-speaking person would <br />have.” <br />Language barriers affect people’s ability to seek <br />support from police and other first responders, <br />which also affects people’s safety. When asked <br />about barriers within the community, one individual <br />said “...a lot of the Tri-Valley agencies, including <br />law enforcement, do not have bilingual officers and <br />detectives and staff.” <br />While Spanish-speaking populations were frequently <br />highlighted as needing translation and interpretation <br />services, there was also a need for translation and <br />interpretation in languages such as Farsi, Dari, <br />Percent of Households that <br />are Language Isolated <br />Figure 45. Language Isolation <br />Sources: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2017-2021 <br />Geographies shown are <br />census block groups <br />Cantonese, Mandarin, Hmong, and Cantonese. One <br />service provider said: <br />“Regarding language, there’s no Hmong <br />interpreter. Specifically, we’ve been dealing with a <br />lot of issues regarding Hmong language and that’s <br />come up…where do we send them? Also, their <br />dialect isn’t written – it can’t be written down, so <br />they need someone to translate.” <br />Substance Use <br />Community members, service providers, first <br />responders, and nonprofit participants in all three <br />cities mentioned the challenge of substance use. The <br />Alameda County Needs Assessment noted that binge <br />drinking is higher in Livermore compared to state- <br />wide rates.14 <br />A significant concern focused on early onset of <br />substance use among youth. One participant <br />observed, “we’re seeing it more and more in the <br />middle schools. Fifth grade even.” Additional <br />information about youth substance use and <br />interventions can be found in the Youth section. <br />EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENTSS Page 119 of 554