Raphael House Secures First City Funding, Expands Family Shelter by 50%

San Francisco's oldest family homelessness shelter celebrated a milestone it waited more than five decades to reach: its first-ever public operational funding. Mayor Daniel Lurie joined Raphael House leaders and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter for a ribbon cutting marking eight new residential units and a landmark contract with the city, part of a $140 million push to address rising family homelessness even as overall unsheltered numbers hit a 15-year low.

• Raphael House opens 8 new family shelter units, its first expansion in years, increasing capacity by 50%
• 54-year-old nonprofit lands its first public operational grant from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
• Mayor Lurie announces $140 million family homelessness investment, the largest in city history, including a $27 million rent relief package
• Family homelessness rising even as citywide unsheltered homelessness drops to lowest level in 15 years
• Former shelter resident returns 52 years later as a doctor, mother, and bestselling author to mark the occasion

The basics: Raphael House, a family homelessness shelter in District 3, has operated for 54 years entirely on private funding. The new contract with the city's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing marks the first time the organization has received public money for its day-to-day operations — not just capital projects.