On a Friday evening in mid-November, Maria Fernanda is busy tending to a fogata comunitaria — a community bonfire — but not one made up of flames, wood, and smoke. Instead, Fernanda is inside a community room at Ashland Place Apartments, setting up for a bimonthly fogata gathering for unincorporated residents of Alameda County.
Bright overhead fluorescent lights wash over the table at the center of the small space as people slowly trickle in and claim a seat. Ripped up magazines, colored construction paper, scissors, and other crafting supplies are spread out on the table as reggaeton music plays quietly in the background.
Though the space is indoors, a fire isn’t necessary. The warmth filling the room is palpable, as neighbors both new and old are excited to greet one another before the evening begins. Residents bring pan dulce conchas and pasta, along with Abuelita hot chocolate, to share with others.
Fernanda, 27, is the lead organizer for the Community Wellness Committee at My Eden Voice, a non-profit social justice organization that serves unincorporated residents in what is known as the “Eden area” – an area of unincorporated Alameda county that includes Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and Hayward Acres.
About 10% of the county’s residents – or about 150,000 people – live on unincorporated land, which means they don’t have access to city services, like the police or fire departments, or a city council to represent them. Instead, they go to county sheriff and fire departments for those services, and look to county supervisors for representation. Approximately 30% of Alameda County’s unincorporated population is Hispanic or Latino.
Fernanda, who was born in Peru and came to the U.S. at three years old, welcomes people as they settle in, and starts the meeting with introductions.
“I’ve been with My Eden Voice for three years. I live in Concord, so I don’t live here but I still work in the area—my friends are here, and this is my community,” Fernanda tells the group in Spanish before translating to English. “Mental health is something really important to me because I’ve dealt with anxiety, depression.. and as an immigrant, I think it’s an important responsibility to discuss these things, otherwise we feel trapped.”
Each fogata is held at a resident’s home and is organized by Fernanda—who finds a location if residents can’t host at their homes, brings materials, translates for attendees, and supports the hosts in helping to facilitate the evening’s agenda. One session might focus on grief and breathwork, while another might address inner child healing through physical movement. The location also varies, depending on residents’ willingness or ability to host these meetings at their own homes. But what remains the same at every gathering is the focus on mental health.
“There’s been this narrative that there’s plenty of organizations that provide [mental health] services for unincorporated areas,” Fernanda said. “However, in action, most folks find these things inaccessible either because of location, language, or it’s not very culturally inclusive. So our response to a lot of these concerns are to take these services and bring them to the people.”
The bonfire spark
Back in January, residents in unincorporated areas expressed uncertainty and fear about President Donald Trump’s second term, said Fernanda. Initial one-on-one conversations turned into broader discussions where residents expressed that they “couldn’t wait any longer” to have a space to talk about their mental health.
“[So] we started gathering around a fire,” Fernanda said. “We ended up using candles and a barbecue in a neighbor’s driveway. We started talking, really connecting, and uplifting issues around immigration and mental health. [And] we started calling them ‘fogatas,’” which is bonfire in Spanish. In October, the Community Wellness Committee of My Eden Voice began formally hosting “Fogatas Comunitarias” for anyone living in unincorporated areas of the county.
These Fogatas Comunitarias are inspired by the “Family Cafe” model, said Fernanda, which originated in Illinois as part of a child abuse prevention initiative in 2007. The in-person “cafes” were designed to offer “physically and emotionally safe spaces where people talk and listen to each other on topics that matter to them.” Participants are also trained for three weeks before they can facilitate their own “cafes.”
“We are using the [family cafe] framework to help organize members in the community… while also understanding how we can build a better structure using these third spaces where they’re non-clinical spaces to support residents.” Fernanda said.
While not all fogatas have been around a fire as they rotate between different residents’ homes or apartment community rooms, the mission remains the same: creating a third space – a space that is neither one’s own home or one’s workspace – for discussions about mental health.
Each resident who hosts a fogata discusses with Fernanda the topic and activities they want to focus on during the session three weeks in advance. Fernanda offers guidelines around set-up and community listening rules. But in terms of the topic chosen by the host, Fernanda said My Eden Voice keeps it open-ended.
“We don’t necessarily have limits [on what we talk about], but what we are clear on is that we aren’t medical professionals,” Fernanda said. “We cannot give direct services or even recommendations on how to improve things with their trauma.”
Fernanda says that during some of these fogatas, traumatic topics do come up. In those situations, Fernanda or another member of My Eden Voice, will approach individuals at the end of the meeting and give referrals for local organizations that might be able to support them further.
Tonight’s theme is “feelings and emotions,” and is being led by Victoria Vivaldo, a member of My Eden Voice who has lived in Cherryland for fifteen years. Many of those who attend these fogatas are residents of Cherryland—which is 52% Hispanic—and most are Latina mothers, said Fernanda.
Vivaldo opens the night’s fogata by introducing herself to the group, some of whom are familiar and others who are new.
“I like being here, being involved with my community, and in this moment with you all,” Vivaldo tells the group in Spanish. “I didn’t have space to host this at my house but for now, this is my space to share with you all today.”
Fernanda, who translates in both English and Spanish for participants throughout the event, invites everyone to introduce themselves. Vivaldo then asks attendees to describe how they’re feeling. She reminds them that this is a judgement free zone. Some express uncertainty about the current political climate, and others express fear about the changes happening to their body as they’re getting older.
Once the attendees are done sharing, Vivaldo leads them outside, where the group practices deep breathing and Tai Chi. Vivaldo and Fernanda lead the group in the exercise, telling attendees to “reach for the stars”—put their arms to the sky—and “change the world”—move their arms from one side to the other. Residents laugh and exhale as they wave their arms in the air and try to ground themselves in the moment.
Afterward, the group reconvenes inside to work on collages that focus on addressing negative emotions in a creative way. Lilia Sierra Murillo, 42, is attending for the third time tonight. Murillo, who lives in unincorporated San Lorenzo, said she tends to keep to herself, but found out about this community effort through a friend.
“I like the activities we do here because they help me reflect on my personal life and surroundings and get out of myself, out of my mind, and see beyond myself to other people,” Murillo said in Spanish.
Fernanda says that this is helping to meet residents where they are, physically and emotionally. The fogatas have been particularly useful for residents like Angelica Canchola, who lives in unincorporated Cherryland.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Canchola’s mom died. Mandated isolation coupled with the loss of her mother led her down a path of depression and anxiety. At the time, she had a good therapist, psychologist, and support group through Kaiser. But then her therapist retired and demand for Spanish speaking services skyrocketed, she said. Now, she’s on a waitlist, and facing a months-long delay because of limited Spanish-language providers.
“Lots of us face the challenge of language. And the option of using a translator, to be talking to someone that you don’t know about your hardships just for them to tell it to someone else, it sometimes feels uncomfortable,” Canchola said in Spanish.
She said other unincorporated residents feel similarly and that for them, having a resource like the fogatas is helpful in the interim. For her, it’s also important that she and her neighbors have a non-clinical, inclusive space to discuss these topics.
“We aren’t psychologists, we aren’t therapists, we aren’t any of that. But we’re people who listen,” Canchola said in Spanish. “Simply having a space where you can go and share what you’re feeling, where someone is listening to what you’re saying, I think that’s very comforting—at least, it helps me a lot.”
Formalizing the fogatas
Back in 2023, unincorporated residents from My Eden Voice began discussing amongst themselves the gap they felt existed between mental health resources available in their areas compared to incorporated cities in the county, Fernanda said.
My Eden Voice’s Community Wellness Committee, which was made up of 15 members at that time, surveyed 100 residents and they found they were experiencing delays in receiving mental health care due to language barriers, long waitlists, location, and a lack of cultural inclusivity. My Eden Voice wanted a county-backed solution: non-clinical, third spaces where Eden area residents could discuss mental health topics and support one another.
In early 2024, Claudia Albano, Deputy Chief of Staff for Supervisor Nate Miley, said that both she and Miley—who as a county supervisor represents the lion’s share of unincorporated urban residents—became aware of mental health being an issue of concern in unincorporated areas after attending a meeting at REACH Ashland Youth Center in February of that year.
“It was a group of unincorporated area organizations, including My Eden Voice, that held a convening at REACH Ashland Youth Center about mental health, about issues that came out of their work. And mental health was a big one,” Albano said. “We know there’s challenges ahead in trying to find funding for these hyper local services, but we support the need for them.”
After that initial meeting, Miley’s office facilitated four meetings to discuss My Eden Voice’s needs for mental health support, Albano said. At those meetings, Albano, My Eden Voice, Alameda County Behavioral Health, and other stakeholders discussed My Eden Voice’s needs, according to Albano.
But Fernanda said there wasn’t any movement from these sessions. “We would be going over the same findings, the same things,” Fernanda said. “There was no real coordination coming from those sessions.”
Albano said that My Eden Voice took additional time to refine what they were asking for, which affected the organization’s ability to keep constant pressure on the county. “They needed to organize their committee. They needed to refine their demands. They needed to enhance their relationships in the community and with behavioral health in order to take the next steps,” Albano said.
After those meetings, Fernanda said that My Eden Voice maintained their relationship with Alameda County Behavioral Health and sought more clarity from the department on how to move forward. “[We were] encouraged to participate in the [unincorporated services] committee meetings, do public comment and stuff like that, which is fine, but limited,” Fernanda said.
Filling a need after Trump’s second term
Once President Trump began his second term, the want for third spaces became more urgent, with families expressing a need for support, especially with the rise of immigration enforcement concerns, Fernanda said. As early versions of the fogatas unfolded, My Eden Voice continued to make repeated appearances and calls at county committee meetings about the need for third spaces and mental health services like these in the unincorporated areas.
After formalizing the fogatas in October, My Eden Voice submitted a proposal that same month to Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Lena Tam, who run the Unincorporated Services Committee, which focuses on the needs of residents living in unincorporated areas.
The proposal outlined two main objectives: more county investment in “third spaces” for the unincorporated areas and the establishment of an Eden Mental Health Taskforce. My Eden Voice defined “third spaces” as “ [spaces] for healing, connection, and destigmatization of mental health in the unincorporated Eden area.”
Supervisor Tam said that effective mental health resources already exist for residents of the unincorporated areas in the county. She cited the REACH Ashland Youth Center and Wilma Chan Family Resource Center, which serve unincorporated areas, as well as John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro.
“We want to make sure that people know about the programs that do exist and that they are using it and there’s a higher utilization so we can justify continuing funding, especially the ones that serve the unincorporated area,” Tam said.
The Wilma Chan Family Resource Center, located at Royal Sunset High School in Hayward Acres, opened two years ago and has La Familia coordinators, who are not licensed therapists, onsite every Monday through Friday to help residents get referred to Medi-cal or food distribution services, according to Amani Dunham, who is the main coordinator for the center.
Marcela Rodriguez, 38, who has been working at the Resource Center as a La Familia coordinator since April 2024, said the center offers in-person monthly family health and wellness workshops at the site for unincorporated residents.
“The workshops that we offer are focused on self-care,” Rodriguez said. “They’re geared towards our community members that are 14 and older. We do usually have our self-care workshops during the school day, so it is something we are trying to navigate because we are limited on the hours that we can provide services for the community.” Rodriguez said their sessions are not directly related to mental health topics, and instead start off with a guided meditation, and then transition to different crafting projects each month.
The REACH Ashland Youth Center, located in unincorporated Ashland, offers young people from ages 11 to 24 no-cost access to medical, dental, and counseling services. Youth who become members can also access individual and family therapy. According to Alma Rosas, clinical supervisor for REACH’s health and wellness team, the center has four clinical case managers that offer mental health services to members. The center also offers offsite boxing classes, and “My Mental Matters,” a weekly group session that is focused on mental health awareness, which members can access.
“I do know that there is an accessibility issue in the unincorporated area and REACH was designed to meet a very specific subset of that need, which is young people in transitional age youth,” said Matthew Holt, assistant director of the Center.
John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, part of the Alameda Health System, offers emergency psychiatric and acute care services for adults experiencing acute psychiatric illnesses, according to their website.
However, these centers don’t provide the kind of non-clinical ‘third spaces’ unincorporated residents want to gather and discuss mental health, said Fernanda.
“[These fogatas] are really inspired by the idea that [people] can have structure to come together,” Fernanda said.
Supervisor Tam said that the Alameda County Health Committee is currently reviewing My Eden Voice’s proposal before they can start conversations around what they are asking for.
In October, Fernanda also spoke to the Office of Family Empowerment, which is housed within Alameda County Behavioral Health, to discuss the possibility of county-hosted “Family Cafes” in the unincorporated areas.
“We were like, ‘The county is already investing in this in some sort of way, how can we tap into that?’” Fernanda said.
The Office of Family Empowerment took up this model in 2013, starting “Parent Cafes” that were offered in-person in a community room in Creekside Plaza, a San Leandro office park, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The county then shifted to hosting these “cafes” online, and continues to do so today, offering virtual sessions in both English and Spanish to all county residents.
“Our biggest tool is the family cafe,” said Tanya McCollum, program specialist for the Office of Family Empowerment. “[They offer] prevention and early intervention to bring families together where they have conversations and families recognize things about themselves or about their loved ones, and they start seeking help as a result of that.”
This year, the Office of Family Empowerment was able to host its first in-person cafe since the pandemic at Burckhalter Elementary School in Oakland. But none are currently offered in-person in the unincorporated areas, something that may change in early 2026.
“We’ve been kind of canvassing the community to find out where else we wanted to start a cafe,” said McCollum. “And that’s where My Eden Voice comes in, because they’re in the unincorporated area, and there was a request for there to be more services available in that area,” she said. The office is now looking to start in-person cafes in unincorporated areas as early as February 2026.
“[The cafes are] one step in the right direction,” Fernanda said, but they would not replace the fogatas. “We want fogatas [to continue] because they specifically meet the gap where those third spaces [aren’t].”
My Eden Voice would like the county-hosted cafes to serve as training ground for My Eden Voice members, so each resident who hosts a fogata can be better prepared to facilitate them in the future.
But the effort to expand the cafes to unincorporated parts of the county may be shortchanged: McCollum says that funding for the cafes, which provide food, childcare, and paid volunteers, will be impacted by Prop. 1, a $6.4 billion mental health bond measure passed by voters in 2024 which provides funding for housing and treatment centers, but also shifts mental health funding away from counties to the state. Alameda County Behavioral Health will be impacted by the newly named Health Services Act, as a result.
“The prevention and early intervention budget is going to be cut drastically by the Behavioral Health Services Act,” said McCollum. “Drastically.”
Fernanda said the potential loss of funding from Prop. 1 in the coming year could be a challenge but feels hopeful about what the fogatas have shown they can offer unincorporated residents in terms of third-space gatherings focused on mental health.
If supervisors Miley and Tam respond well to My Eden’s Voice proposal, Fernanda hopes there will someday be funding for third spaces to host them in. “Eventually, we do want the county to essentially make more third spaces available for the larger part of the community,” Fernanda said.“[But] even if our fogatas are still self-funded, I think what’s powerful about it is that our folks believe in it.”
This story was produced in partnership with CatchLight as part of their three-year Mental Health Visual Reporting Initiative.
