Families thrive at Raphael House because we are an orderly, attractive, working household. Predictability and patterns help young children feel secure, and everything at Raphael House is comfortably predictable. Children do homework when they return from school. Supervised play follows. Dinner is always at six. Children's art activities precede bedtime. And so it goes, throughout the day. Parents are pleasantly surprised as their children begin to warm to a safe, interesting environment with other children. Children with behavior problems often learn simple rules that help them in life.

Life at Raphael House has seasonal patterns as well. We look forward to Christmas, we celebrate Thanksgiving, we have a harvest festival on Halloween, and a picnic in Golden Gate Park on the Fourth of July. Former residents return for these events as well. For families who have experienced severe crisis, Raphael House provides a re-entry into normal life.

We know that rebuilding a life may require crisis counseling and resource referrals, and we provide these, but most important is the context of peace and dignity that families have while they live here. One of the most common statements we've heard over the past three decades is: "You helped me feel normal again."