On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Raphael House celebrated a momentous occasion. In honor of our first multi-year operational contract with the City of San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, Executive Director Tina Burgelman, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter cut the celebratory ribbon on our recently expanded Residential Shelter!
After a brief introductory period of mingling (and munching on delicious donated pastries from Jane on Larkin), Raphael House supporters entered the newly renovated third floor, in awe of the brightness of the spaces, with new flooring, paint, and freshly remodeled rooms. We welcomed guests into our Children’s Activity Room and Family Living Room. However, instead of the usual art supplies and kiddie tables, the room was filled with camera crew, prepped and ready for an official press conference from the Office of the Mayor.
Our supporters lined the walls, ready and eager to hear a full slate of speakers celebrating the heart of Raphael House’s work. The afternoon began with remarks from our new Board Chair, Charlie McEachron: “Because of the city’s investment, and because of the extraordinary work of Raphael House staff, we’ve been able to increase the number of families that Raphael House can house in this shelter by 50%. That is truly remarkable, and provides the opportunity for even more families to begin the path towards long-term stability.”
Charlie passed the baton to our Executive Director, Tina Burgelman, who highlighted that this expansion is a sign of support for Raphael House’s unique approach to family homelessness. At Raphael House, we intentionally keep our case loads at a ratio of eight families to each case manager, so that our staff can best support our clients with personalized, focused, collaborative solutions. Additionally, this increase to our Residential Shelter capacity means that more families will be transitioned to our Bridge Program, which provides case management and children’s services until their youngest child turns 18.
Tina shared some of her favorite moments at Raphael House, which included the ribbon cutting. “In reflecting on this moment and the meaning of this occasion, I’ve continuously returned to the amount of mutual trust that is required to do the important work at Raphael House. When we think about our families at Raphael House, they come to us at the most vulnerable times in their lives, and they trust us to work with them and create a path that is their own and creates a positive future,” she said. But the mutual trust didn’t stop there: “All of our supporters have trusted us with resources, energy, and belief in our programs. And so today’s celebration is about thanking all of the people who came together and looking at what we’ve created together. This is a huge milestone for Raphael House!”
And no one knows the story of Raphael House quite as well as Teresa Van Woy, a valued member of our Executive Leadership Council. Teresa stayed in our Residential Shelter as a child experiencing homelessness and shared what Raphael House means to her: “For me, Raphael House was more than just a roof over our heads. It was a place where, during a very difficult point in our childhood, I finally felt safe. I could sleep, I could go to school, I could have a routine, and I could just be a kid. And now, here I am. 52 years later, I am standing in Raphael House as a doctor, a mother, a bestselling author, and a member of Raphael House’s Executive Leadership Council.”
Charlie, Tina, and Teresa are huge members of the Raphael House ecosystem, and are deeply familiar with the hard work of our staff and clients. We welcomed some additional guests to Raphael House as well. District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter presented Raphael House with a Certificate of Honor commemorating the transformative power of our supportive services.
“Even before I took office, I took a visit here to see the hard work Raphael House does,” the District Supervisor said. “I know this expansion is something you’ve worked towards for years and years. You do some of the most important work to transform the sad reality of a family living on the street into what happens here, those important milestones and those sounds of joy. For decades, more than fifty years, you’ve been doing this work pretty quietly. You’ve been really focused inside these walls on serving families and taking care of each other. I think it’s time to get loud, and to share all your secrets and all of your success.”
The final speaker for the official press conference was none other than San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. He took to the podium and spoke about the state of family homelessness in San Francisco, and the great need for additional services in a year when family homelessness increased (2026 Point in Time count). “My administration along with my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors continues to invest in solutions that keep families housed,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “That is what makes what is happening here at Raphael House here so incredibly important. Eight new rooms means that eight new families will have roofs over their heads, eight groups of children can stay in their own room, and eight families can build a better future for themselves.”
And his praises didn’t stop there: “Raphael House has seen great success focusing on families experiencing homelessness. By pairing housing with services and support, 88% of families staying here exit to stable housing. And that support doesn’t end when they leave Raphael House. Continuing support such as case management and the Bridge Program ensure that families maintain stable housing. That means when a family comes here, they are put on the best path forward to success.”
And then… the ribbon cutting! In a room full of warm smiles and applause, we celebrated this new phase of Raphael House as an organization, celebrating our partnership with the City of San Francisco and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Thank you to our HSH partners for making this collaboration an amazing addition to the services and programming we have historically provided for our families, and for helping us to expand our family capacity by 50%,at a time when San Francisco needs it most.
To wrap, we’ll leave you with a quote from our Executive Director, Tina Burgelman about the beauty of our home-like Residential Shelter and Bridge Programming: “Families are experiencing all the warm moments that we all seek to have as parents, here at Raphael House. This is paired with a drive; a challenging, daring ambition to pursue something new. And I can’t think of anything more worthy of the best of our energy and time.”
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