Inside Puertas Abiertas: The Nonprofit Reimagining What Support Looks Like for Latine Families
When Puertas Abiertas opened its doors in Napa Valley back in 2005, it didn’t start as the region’s most trusted hub for Latinx advocacy. It became that way over time through listening, showing up, and healing alongside the community it serves.
Today, Puertas Abiertas is more than a nonprofit. It’s a lifeline.
The roots of Puertas Abiertas are in community trust
According to the organization, Puertas Abiertas has always operated with one goal: to be a “trusted home and advocate for our community.” Since its founding, that mission has evolved to meet the growing and often urgent needs of Latinx immigrant families in the region.
“As political climates and immigration policies have become more uncertain and often painful, Puertas Abiertas has stood firmly beside our community,” Interim Executive Director Esmeralda Gil told FIERCE. This includes developing trauma-informed programs, such as La Cultura Cura, designed to support emotional healing and cultural pride.
The work responds not just to legal barriers, but to emotional ones. “Families face fear, stress, and isolation,” Esmeralda said. “Our mission today is about resilience, dignity, and belonging.”
The new Puertas Abiertas cultural center means everything
After nearly two decades of providing mobile services and operating out of temporary offices, Puertas Abiertas is finally opening a permanent home. Located in Napa, this space will also serve as the region’s first Latino cultural center.
“This new space means so much,” Esmeralda shared. “It’s a reflection of the trust our community has placed in Puertas Abiertas over the years.”
More than just logistics, the center offers emotional permanence. “Puertas has always been more than a resource center,” she said. “This permanent home is a reminder that our work matters, and that our community deserves beautiful, safe, and welcoming spaces built with them in mind.”
Many Puertas Abiertas staff have lived the same stories they serve
One reason the work feels so personal? Many of the bilingual and bicultural staff at Puertas Abiertas were once children of the families they now help.
“The empathy our team brings really makes all the difference,” Esmeralda said. “Many of us have lived through these same experiences.”
From navigating food insecurity to translating legal documents as children, the team understands the layers of trust needed to serve a vulnerable community.
“We often say that when we’re helping clients, we see our own parents, tias, or tios in them,” she shared. “That’s why it means so much to us.”
Why holistic support makes all the difference
According to Puertas Abiertas, genuine support must be comprehensive. That means providing Know Your Rights workshops, cultural wellness programming, and trauma-informed mental health services all under one roof.
“Latinx immigrant families are often navigating complex systems while carrying deep emotional, cultural, and generational experiences,” Esmeralda explained. “We believe real support happens when we treat people as whole human beings; with dignity, care, and understanding.”
That approach allows the organization to build long-term trust while addressing root causes, not just immediate needs.
A grandmother, a granddaughter, and a healing circle
One story, Esmeralda said, continues to anchor their mission. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Puertas Abiertas moved many of its programs online, including La Cultura Cura. The adjustment was especially difficult for older adults unfamiliar with tech.
“One of the most powerful stories came from a family of three generations—grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter—who showed up together,” she shared.
What started as tech support soon became shared healing. The granddaughter invited her wife. The entire family began participating in workshops together.
“They began having deep conversations about generational trauma, naming patterns that had gone unspoken for years,” Esmeralda said. With group support and individual counseling, they began the slow process of breaking harmful cycles.
“I’ll never forget when the grandmother shared that a weight she had carried for decades was finally starting to lift,” she shared.
That’s the heart of Puertas Abiertas: seeing people fully, creating safe spaces, and walking with them toward healing together.
