City and County of San Francisco Awards Raphael House Transformative $4.2 Million Grant to Expand Capacity, Support Facility Improvements

Today, the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing announced a transformative $4.2 million contract awarded to Raphael House, San Francisco’s first family homeless shelter. Through this funding, Raphael House will improve its facilities and expand its capacity to provide additional private rooms to serve more families experiencing homelessness. The grant marks the first time the nonprofit organization has received multi-year funding from the City of San Francisco in its 54-year history.

Since 1971, Raphael House has been a leader in providing low-income families in the San Francisco Bay Area with personalized family-centered solutions to build brighter futures. Over the last five years, 88% of Raphael House families have transitioned to stable housing, and 95% of families in its Bridge Program—which provides all Raphael House families with additional care and case management to ensure they maintain housing stability in the years following their move.

Over the next two years, this grant will not only help Raphael House continue serving families but also expand its reach and capacity to help more families. The funding will help Raphael House complete capital repairs, expand its family and children’s services offerings, and open eight more rooms to maximize the capacity of its residential shelter. The grant was championed by Mayor Daniel Lurie and Director McSpadden, and was allocated in the San Francisco FY 2025-26 & FY 2026-27 budget. Capital work is already underway to support the opening of eight more rooms, increasing Raphael House’s capacity to serve 50% more families beginning in summer 2026.

“Every family and child in San Francisco should have a safe place to sleep,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Since day one of our administration, we’ve been working to strengthen San Francisco’s response to the homelessness crisis and support our families in need. This funding will expand shelter capacity at Raphael House and help our most vulnerable families and kids get on a path to stability.”

"The addition of eight new rooms at Raphael House is a meaningful step forward in our efforts to support families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. These rooms will provide critical emergency shelter for some of our most vulnerable residents—families with children who need safe, stable housing during difficult times. I'm grateful to HSH for this investment and to Raphael House for their many decades serving families in our community," said District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter.

“HSH is excited to announce new funding for Raphael House and support for its mission to help families transitioning to stable housing,” said San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing executive director, Shireen McSpadden. “This investment will enable Raphael House to increase capacity, providing critical resources and support to achieve long-term stability and independence. Together, we are building stronger communities, one family at a time.”

“Raphael House is honored and excited to welcome the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing into its expansive web of support,” said Raphael House Executive Director Tina Burgelman. “Raphael House remains committed to helping families experiencing homelessness receive the holistic support they deserve. This grant will not only ensure families have ongoing access to the services we provide, but it will also allow more families to receive the essential services they need to thrive.”

Raphael House operates as a residential shelter on Sutter St., in San Francisco, where families can find temporary accommodations, fresh clothes, and healthy meals while they work one-on-one with case managers to secure stable housing. After families move out of the Residential Shelter, they receive support through Raphael House’s Bridge Program. Raphael House’s Bridge Program allows families to continue accessing our case management services until the youngest child turns 18, providing continued support with children’s tutoring, financial literacy, career development, and various other offerings at Raphael House.

The grant to Raphael House is part of the Mayor’s Breaking the Cycle Initiative and our collective commitment to addressing family homelessness. In the FY 25-27 budget the City allocated over $50 million in new resources to address family homelessness including new family rapid rehousing subsidies, new shallow subsidies, new hotel vouchers, and new homelessness prevention programs.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Raphael House Executive Director Tina Burgelman or Chair of the Board of Directors Tom Poser, please contact Julia Forrest at julia@lh-pa.com.