Raphael House

What Raphael House does

Raphael House of San Francisco, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1971 that operates San Francisco's first and longest-standing family shelter. The organization provides a continuum of services for families experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area, structured around three integrated programs: the Residential Shelter Program, which provides private family bedrooms, daily meals, intensive case management (1:8 caseload ratio), housing search support, career development, and family wellness services for an average of 40 families per year with a 7.7-month average length of stay; the Bridge Program, which delivers post-shelter aftercare including financial literacy education and community referrals until the youngest child turns 18, serving 187 families annually with a 95% long-term housing stability rate; and Children's Services, which offers K-12 tutoring, enrichment, scholarships, and birthday/back-to-school support for 300+ children per year. Families access services exclusively through San Francisco's Coordinated Entry Access Point system.

The organization is funded through a diversified mix of individual donations (including recurring 'Families First!' monthly giving, planned giving, and stock donations), corporate sponsorships (anchored by Gilead Foundation as presenting gala sponsor), workplace giving programs (United Way, Combined Federal Campaign, employer matching), in-kind donations (Amazon Wish Lists, vehicle donations through Careasy.org), and—most recently—multi-year government funding ($4.2M grant from San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in January 2026, the first in the organization's 54-year history). Services are provided free of charge to qualifying families; the annual Black & White Gala at The Palace Hotel is the flagship fundraising event, raising a record $1,055,000 in 2026.

Operationally, Raphael House runs on a small staff of 11–50 employees plus 2,000+ annual volunteers, governed by a community-based Board of Directors. The organization owns its Sutter Street facility (purchased through a capital campaign) and is currently expanding capacity by 50% with eight additional rooms opening in summer 2026. There is no proprietary technology platform; the core product is human-delivered social services supported by standard nonprofit tooling including Blackbaud for donor management.

Name

Raphael House

Legal name

Raphael House of San Francisco, Inc.

Website

https://raphaelhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Raphael House is San Francisco's longest-standing family shelter (founded 1971), providing residential housing, intensive case management, and post-shelter aftercare for families experiencing homelessness, serving 40 residential and 187 Bridge-program families annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Homeless Shelter Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Family homeless shelter
• Emergency housing services
• Case management support
• Youth education services
• Homelessness prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting family homelessness services. Includes one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations through Families First! program, stock donations, and planned giving (bequests, wills, trusts, gift annuities, retirement plan designations). Federal Tax ID: 94-3141608.
2. Government Grants: First multi-year government funding received in 2026 - $4.2 million grant from San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to expand capacity, complete capital repairs, and expand family and children's services. City & County of San Francisco listed as Builder-level supporter ($250,000+).
3. Corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships: Corporate partners sponsor annual gala and events at various tiers. Gilead Foundation as presenting sponsor, with Diamond, Gold, Silver, Platinum level sponsors. Corporate partners receive benefits including priority access to volunteer opportunities.
4. Workplace Giving: Workplace giving through United Way, Children's Charitable Alliance, Combined Federal Campaign, and Local Independent Charities. Matching gifts from employers. In 2021-2022, over $50,000 raised through matching gift programs.
5. In-Kind Donations: Accepts in-kind donations of goods through Amazon Wish Lists (shelter essentials, children's clothing, household supplies, birthday gifts, toiletries). Vehicle donations accepted through Careasy.org partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Raphael House provides a comprehensive continuum of family-centered services for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, including residential shelter with private family bedrooms, three daily meals, intensive case management, housing search support, career development, and family wellness support. The Bridge Program extends aftercare support until the youngest child turns 18, while Children's Services delivers K-12 tutoring, enrichment activities, scholarships, and back-to-school support. All services are provided free of charge to qualifying families, funded through donations, government grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Raphael House of San Francisco is a nonprofit social services organization (not a technology company) that provides a continuum of family-centered homeless shelter and support services. The organization operates three integrated service programs: the Residential Shelter Program offering temporary housing with comprehensive case management and family support services; the Bridge Program providing ongoing aftercare support to families post-shelter; and Children's Services delivering K-12 academic tutoring, enrichment activities, and scholarships. These programs work together to help families achieve and maintain stable housing and financial independence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Shelter Program A residential shelter providing private family bedrooms, three daily meals, intensive case management (1:8 caseload), housing search support, career development services, and family wellness support for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. Average length of stay is 7.7 months and 88% of families exit to stable housing (FY25).
• Bridge Program A post-shelter aftercare program providing ongoing case management, financial literacy education, and community partner referrals to help families maintain long-term stable housing and financial independence after leaving the Residential Shelter. Supports families through the youngest child's 18th birthday; 95% of Bridge families maintain long-term housing stability and the program serves 187 families annually (FY25).
• Children's Services Comprehensive K-12 academic support for children in both the Residential Shelter and Bridge Programs, including tutoring, enrichment activities, scholarships for extracurricular pursuits, mentoring, birthday gifts, and back-to-school supplies. Serves 300 or more children each year.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Corporate Partners ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanies interested in becoming Corporate Partners receive benefits including priority access to volunteer opportunities. Contact [email protected] for partnership information.
• Careasy.org (Vehicle Donation Partner)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party vehicle donation platform accepting car donations on behalf of Raphael House. Donating is free with pick-up provided. Vehicle donations are tax-deductible.
• Community ThriftminorOthersWhen Raphael House cannot accept furniture donations, referred donors to Community Thrift at 623 Valencia St, San Francisco. Donors mentioning Raphael House receive percentage of proceeds credited to the organization.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Family Promise:
• Tipping Point Community: San Francisco-based anti-poverty funder that grants to high-performing nonprofits serving the Bay Area homeless population. Comparable as a major SF philanthropic ecosystem player funding the same client base, but functions as a donor/foundation rather than direct service provider.

Direct peers

• Compass Family Services: San Francisco nonprofit providing family shelter, housing navigation, and comprehensive support services to homeless families with children. Directly comparable in target population, service continuum, and referral pathway through SF's Coordinated Entry system.
• Abode Services: Bay Area nonprofit providing housing and supportive services across multiple counties, including family housing programs. Comparable geographic scope (Bay Area), family-focused service model, and reliance on county/city funding streams.
• Hamilton Families: San Francisco-based nonprofit operating the city's other major family shelter (Hamilton's Shelters) along with rapid-rehousing and aftercare programs. Closest direct peer with overlapping residential family shelter model, Coordinated Entry referral access, and similar case management intensity.
• Catholic Charities of San Francisco: Large San Francisco social services nonprofit operating family shelter and housing programs (including the MSC South shelter). Comparable in providing residential family shelter, case management, and children's services, with similar referral model and SF-focused geography.

Broad incumbents

• St. Anthony Foundation: Long-established San Francisco nonprofit offering a much broader portfolio of social services including dining room, free clothing, medical care, and shelter programs. Comparable as a major SF social services nonprofit serving homeless populations, but with a wider, less family-specialized scope than Raphael House.
• Glide Foundation: Iconic San Francisco nonprofit providing meals, housing, and comprehensive support services to people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Comparable as a major SF homeless services nonprofit with broad donor and volunteer base, but serves primarily individuals rather than families.

Regional players

• Destination: Home: Silicon Valley/Santa Clara County public-private partnership funding and coordinating efforts to end homelessness. Comparable as a Bay Area homelessness funder/convener, but operates as a regional funder and policy entity rather than direct shelter provider, and outside SF city limits.

Emerging players

• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit providing housing and supportive services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Adjacent in mission and SF geography with similar case-management intensity, but specializes in transitional-age youth rather than families with children.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RaphaelHouseofSanFrancisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/raphaelhousesf
• Xx.com/RaphaelHouseSF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Raphael House