As we entered 2026, we asked our text messaging (SMS) subscribers how they would manage difficult times. That is, in part, because 2025 was a difficult year for many of our subscribers, who are mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants in the East Bay. Rapid policy changes from the Trump administration, many of which targeted immigrants, brought increased anxiety and uncertainty, and shifted their main concerns from health, housing, and jobs to immigration issues.

Lea esta historia en español.

So we asked them on January 1: “Where will you find moments of joy in 2026?”

We received more than 100 replies. 

“My wish for 2026 is that our community lives without fear despite all the changes that have happened and will happen, that we raise our voices and continue fighting for our rights, and above all, that we all have health, love, peace, and many blessings,” a subscriber in Oakland, responded. 

The majority of responses revealed common themes, including spending time with family and loved ones, faith, nature, outdoor activities, and community connections. 

“I find joy with my family, with my friends, and in the organizations where I volunteer; and, of course, nature and animals will always bring me peace and joy,” a subscriber in Richmond, responded. 

Others asked for help. 

“Do you know of a program that helps with rent?” a subscriber in Stockton asked. 

In the first three months, we’ve sent 55 SMS messages to over 6,500 subscribers. These messages shared local news, resources, and opportunities for engagement. In response, we received more than 1,200 replies and over 90 questions.

Rent assistance becomes a top concern

Since the beginning of the year, rent assistance has emerged as a significant and ongoing need for our SMS community. In February, we heard from a Hayward subscriber who desperately reached out for help with her rent. “I’m a single mother of a one-year-old baby and a 10-year-old boy, and I am looking for help with my rent payment for this month,” she texted. “I work, but my income just isn’t enough to cover it this time.” 

Some of our SMS subscribers have told us that a combination of limited job opportunities, minimum wage, health issues, and childcare challenges has made it difficult for them to stay afloat.

“I work as a janitor and make $22 an hour, but I pay $2,100 in rent. To be honest, the money just isn’t enough—everything has gotten so expensive lately. I’ve been suffering from severe stress lately, constantly worrying about how to pay my bills and rent every month,” an Oakland subscriber told us in January.

“Hello—how can we get some help? My husband and I are under a lot of stress; we don’t have the money to pay our rent. I applied for a job, but nothing has come through yet, and my husband isn’t getting much work because he has medical restrictions. We are very worried,” another Oakland subscriber texted in February.

“I’m having trouble paying my rent. Could you please help me? I live in Contra Costa County. I’m unemployed and have a young child, and I had surgery and am in therapy, so I can’t work,” a subscriber in Concord texted in February. 

In the case of the Hayward subscriber, her one-year-old fell ill, requiring her to stay home with him for three weeks. Their daycare center would not allow her to bring him back until he recovered, she told me. Her son had a virus, and they visited the hospital at least five times during that period. This, along with recurring immigration appointments, led her to resign from a new job because she “felt embarrassed” about how often she had to be away from work, she told us. As a result, she decided to start working as a DoorDash driver.

Read our resource guide on utility payment support:

Since she reached out, we shared multiple resources that might help. I then met with her in March at her Hayward apartment to learn more about her experience. She had reached out to various places that provide rent assistance and/or support for those in crisis. But she’d either been told she didn’t qualify because the assistance didn’t extend to her location or area, or that the funds were limited and she couldn’t be helped at the moment. On some occasions, she said she simply couldn’t get through to speak with someone on the phone and had to leave voicemails for a callback. 

“I reached out for help using all the contacts you sent me,” she said. “I did manage to find psychological support. But not with rent.” The situation had taken a mental toll on her. Eventually, she asked us if we knew of any resources that could assist her with that, as she was experiencing significant stress and anxiety while trying to keep herself and her two kids in their apartment.

In response, we shared our resource guide that lists services available in Alameda County for cases of anxiety, depression, and other mental health difficulties. She had successfully received support from “Casa del Sol,” a counseling and crisis intervention services program provided by La Clínica de la Raza, she told me.

Read our resource guide on mental health support:

But after a month of checking in with her, she still had not received any assistance with her rent. “I’m absolutely desperate. Today is the end of the month, and I think I’ll have to move into a room [from an apartment],” she told us on March 31.

Her experience reflects what we continue to hear from many subscribers navigating housing insecurity, which is that many immigrants in the East Bay lack safe and stable housing. Below are some of the most common recurring questions texted in about housing insecurity:

  • Can you give me information about low-income apartments? I’m separating from my husband, don’t have a job, and don’t know where to go. I’m worried and depressed. I have three children.
  • I rent an apartment, and the bathtub is clogged. The landlord won’t pay for repairs even though I pay rent every month. Is this legal?
  • How do I get my rent deposit back?
  • Is it normal for the rent to go up every year in Antioch?
  • How much is it legal to raise the rent here in Oakland?
  • I have a question: I’ve been living in my home for five years, but the landlord asked me how much time I would need to vacate. She says it’s because she’s going to do repairs—so, essentially, she’s kicking me out.

Immigration legal help remained a persistent need among our SMS community. Requests for free or low-cost legal resources are also frequent. In many cases, these messages come during moments of urgency or uncertainty, when community members are trying to understand their options or navigate active cases. In addition to questions about where to find free or low-cost immigration attorneys, we’ve also received requests for information about legal clinics, how to complete forms, or assistance with specific cases. 

Read our resource guide on immigration legal support:

Below are some of the most common recurring questions texted in about immigration resources:

  • Where can I get free legal aid?
  • I am looking for an immigration lawyer. Do you have a list of them that you can provide? 
  • Where can I apply for a passport? My son was born in Oakland and is 15 years old.
  • Do you have contact information for lawyers who handle immigration detention cases? I have a family member currently detained by immigration. I want to fight their case.

Medi-Cal enrollment and renewal

Access to healthcare has been another recurring concern in our SMS messages, particularly as policy changes have reshaped eligibility and enrollment processes. Last summer, when Governor Newsom and the California state legislature decided to freeze new enrollments to Medi-Cal for undocumented adults starting in January 2026, we began to see the worry and anxiety  these changes provoked among our community members, who worried about maintaining their Medi-Cal coverage. Many reported difficulties with the renewal process, including a lack of response from Medi-Cal, confusion about eligibility, and delays in reinstating coverage. Below are some of the most common recurring questions texted in about Medi-Cal:

  • Could you give me the number for Medi-Cal? I sent documents a month ago and haven’t received a response.
  • I need help; I didn’t receive my Medi-Cal forms because I changed my address.
  • My husband sent in his Medi-Cal renewal, and they haven’t responded. How can I find out if they received it? What should I do, or who should I ask?
  • I was denied Medi-Cal coverage because, according to them, our income is too high. It’s just my husband and me in our family, yet they don’t take into account that we have to pay for rent, water, electricity, and garbage.

Read our resource guide on Medi-Cal:

Jobs & employment

While some community members still ask about job opportunities, the most common messages related to jobs and employment have increasingly centered on workplace exploitation, wage theft, discrimination, and unfair treatment on the job. 

“I work as a janitor for a contractor. My boss has taken away my vacation hours and sick days,” a subscriber in Colma texted us in January. “He no longer pays me by check; instead, he pays me in cash. He still deducts taxes from my pay every two weeks.” 

She told us that she had been working like this for more than a year and a half. “I don’t have a single paystub,” she said. “I work for a private school in San Francisco. The school pays very well for my position. But the contractor takes half of it, and I get minimum wage.” 

Notably, since we began a collaboration in September with the California Workplace Outreach Project which engages workers in high-risk industries to ensure they have access to trusted information about their rights in the workplace, by incorporating in-person outreach, SMS outreach, and Mam video distribution to our SMS community, more subscribers have been reaching out to us to share their about their work experiences and concerns, and to seek guidance.

🗣️ ¿Habla el idoma Mam?

Vea este episodio de Tumil El Tímpano con una explicación de robo de sueldo y los derechos de trabajadores.

Below are some of the most common recurring questions texted in:

  • If I work more than eight hours at my cleaning job, do they have to pay me more?
  • Can they fire us if we can’t prove our immigration status?
  • What can I do about a delay in my pay?
  • Where can I find help to look for a job?
  • Do you have to present a doctor’s note to keep your sick days or accumulated hour benefits?

Patterns and needs continue to change for many of our SMS community members. During tax season, for example, we also received many questions about where to find free tax assistance and about changes to tax credits for community members with ITINs. As the year progresses, we expect to encounter new needs and concerns, and I’ll continue to share insights into our SMS engagement. 
If you have any resources, information, or suggestions that could support resource sharing for community members in the East Bay, please reach out to me at vflores@eltimpano.org.