Latest news with #PuertasAbiertas
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Napa launches rental aid program as federal housing cuts threaten families
Esmerelda Gill and her team at Puertas Abiertas, a longstanding nonprofit serving the Latino community in Napa Valley, see the daily needs of low-income residents looking for help. "If they don't have housing, they don't have a lot of food security or health security, so there's a lot of need for there to be assistance, especially for agricultural workers," Gill said. She said that federal, county, and city grants can often be the difference in a family staying housed or ending up on the streets. It's a critical time for many who work in agriculture and impact Napa's economy. "Harvest is coming up. If they don't feel safe or secure, then there's a lot of different effects it can have on our community," Gill said. Molly Rattigan is the deputy city manager of Napa who oversees its housing division. In response to recent federal cuts to emergency housing vouchers, the Napa City Council and housing authority approved a new rental assistance program using up to $250,000 a year from local housing dollars to help up to 15 households. "What we're trying to do is create a stopgap while we look for longer-term solutions, while we maintain households in their existing housing," Rattigan said. She says the city has implemented programs using federal dollars and has seen its homeless rate in the last two years drop by almost 36%. "As some federal programs are coming to an end and federal regulations are changing, these regulations and changes put these households at risk," Rattigan said. The city says 49 Napa households rely on the emergency vouchers that are ending, and that 18 additional families depend on other programs at risk. Housing advocates like Gill are deeply concerned. "If there's more cuts, then more families are going to be without housing, it's going to cause more issues and strain on their emotional and mental well-being. If they have kids, it causes another level of concern too," Gill said. The city says the new program will help families that are already receiving aid and are about to lose it, but not new applicants.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-04-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Immigrants are the backbone of Napa Valley's wine industry. This major donation will help the fight to protect them
As the wine industry braces for a potentially devastating blow to its workforce under President Trump's threats of mass deportation, a Napa Valley nonprofit is celebrating a major donation that will help it establish the county's first-ever Latino cultural center. Local leaders called it a strong step in the fight to protect immigrants, who make up 73% of the county's agriculture industry, according to a 2012 report by the Migration Policy Institute. About one-third of Napa County's immigrants are undocumented, the report says. The Gasser Foundation, which contributes between $1.5 million and $2 million annually to Napa organizations, has donated a building for the new center, valued at over $3 million, to Puertas Abiertas, Napa Valley's leading Latino advocacy and resource center for the past 20 years. Recently, Puertas Abiertas partnered with four other Bay Area nonprofits to launch a new coalition focused on protecting Napa Valley's undocumented immigrants. 'It feels really good to have a permanent base when the political climate is making things harder for nonprofits and our community,' said Genesis Monnet, Puertas Abiertas marketing chair and board member. The nonprofit operated out of a church for its first 18 years, and in 2023 finally moved into its own space. But the location was difficult to find, hidden within an office park and far from the main roads. The new, 6,000-square-foot building at 305 Soscol Ave. in Napa is much more visible and accessible by public transportation. It's set in the heart of Napa, right off a main thoroughfare that leads into downtown. Nancy Weiss, board president of Puertas Abiertas, envisions a mural on the front of the building 'that will really make it stand out,' she said. The move will take place in July. The new space, which includes a large-scale conference center, will enable Puertas Abiertas to expand its programming, like 'Know Your Rights' workshops, citizenship classes and mental health services, such as free therapy sessions and arts classes. Many of these programs are currently offered to adults, but the nonprofit plans to start focusing on younger generations, too, and is working to provide its presentations in indigenous languages. As reports of deportations across the country increase, Puertas Abiertas has been focused on distributing free 'Know Your Rights' red and yellow cards, which aid immigrants in interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. The nonprofit has distributed more than 3,000 cards in recent months and said it's also trying to spread awareness about fraud. Staff members have received reports of people selling the cards and making false promises to immigrants about getting them green cards. Puertas Abiertas, which counts Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, as an ally, will initially need to make 'a lot of improvements' to the building, Weiss said, and those will 'require substantial money.' The nonprofit plans to bring on some other tenants — ideally, 'missions-consistent' nonprofit organizations — 'to help cover some of the costs of operating the building and maintenance.' The cultural center is still a few years off, but Weiss said it's been a longtime dream of Puertas Abiertas. 'Our vision is not only to be a hub, but a safety net for people, a place people feel comfortable coming,' she said. 'I think it's going to provide health and resources, but also a sense of community that hasn't existed here before.'
