El Tímpano’s Guía de Recursos is a digital, Spanish-language directory shaped by thousands of community questions and our team’s 7+ years of experience answering them. Our objective in creating it was to make it easier for the Bay Area’s Spanish- and Mam-speaking immigrants to find the resources and information they need, and for resource navigators to have an easier time pointing them in the right direction. (For more on how we applied insights from community questions to develop our guide, which was launched in 2024, read this piece.)
In the year since Trump took office, we’ve expanded the guide to include a regularly updated immigration FAQ providing timely information about the current immigration landscape and local resources available, including Know Your Rights guidance, Bay Area rapid response hotlines, steps to take to request a remote court hearing, and more.
But a digital guide can only go so far. As immigration enforcement has ramped up under Trump 2.0 and the need for resources and trustworthy information increases, we want families to have the most urgent, commonly requested information with them wherever they go—and to share it in the spaces where they gather. That’s why we’re excited to share El Tímpano’s print “Guía de Bolsillo,” or pocket guide, an abridged version of our digital guide containing our most requested resources, including excerpts from our immigration FAQ, how to access health services and food banks, and ways to connect with El Tímpano across platforms.
We’re partnering with local library systems, schools, flea markets, and community-based organizations to distribute the pocket guide throughout the East Bay.
📍How to use El Tímpano’s Guía de Recursos
If you are in search of resources or information for yourself or your community, or helping others to do so, here’s how you can use the guide.
Pocket guide
In addition to information, the pocket guide includes QR codes and text keywords that connect readers to more resources through El Tímpano’s text messaging service. Readers can text a keyword to (510) 800-8305 to receive information instantly. For example:
- Text “TARJETA” to receive a digital Know Your Rights red card
- Text “BIENESTAR” for information on local mental health resources
- Text “COMIDA” for help finding the nearest food distribution site
Because some community members have lower digital literacy, it can be helpful to show them in person how to scan a QR code and how to text in a keyword.
Digital guide
El Tímpano’s Guía de Recursos is the full online version of the guide: a comprehensive directory that helps East Bay immigrants find free or low-cost services and explains how to access them. It includes resources for housing and utilities assistance, citizenship classes, legal aid, health insurance, and more, with most listings focused on Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. To get started, click the button for the topic you want to explore.
Our team curated and vetted resources that serve low-income Bay Area residents, especially Spanish- and Mam-speaking immigrants. Entries include important information such as phone numbers and when to call, eligibility criteria, language access options, and documents you may be asked to provide to receive help. The text is in Spanish and many entries include at the top corresponding videos in the Maya Mam language.
📢 Help East Bay immigrants access the resources they need
As immigration policies and enforcement shift, you can make an impact by getting El Tímpano’s resource guide to more immigrants across the East Bay.
Let folks know they can find print copies of the pocket guide at their local public library. El Tímpano is partnering with the Oakland Public Library, Alameda County Library, and Contra Costa Library to distribute the Guía de Bolsillo at 27 branches across the East Bay. Text us your ZIP code and the word “BIBLIOTECA” to (510) 800-8305 and we’ll let you know the closest branch with copies.
Bookmark the digital guide and share it with friends and neighbors. (You can find it any time at www.eltimpano.org/guia.) If your organization serves Spanish- or Mam-speaking immigrant communities, you can support by sharing about the guide with colleagues and community members, in your email newsletter and on social media, or distributing the print Guía de Bolsillo at events, clinics, churches, and other community spaces.
If you have any questions about the guide or ideas for how to partner for distribution, you can get in touch with me at knagasawa@eltimpano.org.
