Founded in 1971 by a community of church volunteers at a time when shelters for those experiencing homelessness in Northern California were usually limited to either women and children or men, Raphael House emerged as a beacon of hope for at-risk families under the leadership of its first executive director, Ella Hoffman Rigney. “It’s the little things,” summed up her philosophy for a shelter that
would be a homelike, nonjudgmental community of healing centered around strengthening family bonds and personal dignity. Today, with this same spirit of warmth, compassion, and kindness at its core, Raphael House offers a broad community-focused continuum of services through its Residential Shelter and Bridge programs that have helped nearly 20,000 children and parents achieve stable housing and financial independence. The only privately funded program of its kind in the San Francisco Bay Area, Raphael House remains at the forefront of providing families experiencing or at risk of homelessness the personalized solutions they need to build brighter futures.
