Staff briefing recommends multilingual outreach, navigator program and industry guides to support immigrant entrepreneurs

City staff and Economic Prosperity Commission volunteers briefed the Economic Opportunity Committee on July 18 about barriers facing immigrant entrepreneurs with limited English proficiency and offered recommendations that include restoring a community navigator program, expanding multilingual resources and improving data collection.

Aaron Gonzales, speaking on behalf of the Economic Prosperity Commission and identified as an appointee from District 9, presented data and peer-city practices. He said limited English proficiency (LEP) describes people who do not speak English as a primary language and who have difficulty reading, speaking, writing, or understanding English. Gonzales told the committee that "24% of all new businesses in Austin are founded by foreign-born entrepreneurs" and…