Minister responds to LPM's concerns about learners difficulties with housing formsFollowing concerns expressed by members about their students' difficulty in reading a Manitoba Housing application form, LPM took the matter to Housing Minister Christine Melnick. At the meeting, Ms. Christine Melnick asked Ms. Lynn Giesbrecht, Manager of the Housing Department, to show LPM staff the latest draft of a form that is used to determine eligibility for subsidized housing. LPM pointed out that the dense text and elevated language would prove impossible for many of the applicants for subsidized housing. Ms. Melnick and Ms. Giesbrecht promised to consider our views in the redesigning of new forms. They pledged to keep the literacy levels of their applicants in mind in future documents. As well, they invited LPM to submit a quote for translating documents into plain language. If you have examples where your learners have been put at a disadvantage because documents are not written in plain language, please let us know. We can be their voice!
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