San Francisco, (Dec 9, 2015)—The Board of Directors of Raphael House of San Francisco has named Ralph Payton executive director of Raphael House effective December 14. Raphael House was founded in 1971 and is the oldest and only privately-funded shelter and services program of its kind dedicated to providing short-term housing, rental assistance, and ongoing supportive services to Bay Area families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Recently the organization expanded its residential shelter and has been in the process of growing its overall services in order to serve an additional 200 families a year by 2017. Payton comes to Raphael House with more than 15 years of experience directing nonprofit human services programs. He served most recently as director of the family shelter at Hamilton Family Center, a nonprofit program in San Francisco that provides shelter, housing placement, and support services for hundreds of homeless families in the Bay Area. “I am very excited to join the Raphael House team,” says Payton. “This organization has been at the forefront of successfully providing services for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco for more than 40 years. I am looking forward to bringing my skills and experience to Raphael House to continue and expand upon their good work.” Prior to moving to San Francisco in 2011, Payton lived in New York City where he directed a large family shelter for many years and then went on to direct an alternative high school, both in the South Bronx. He earned a Master of Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in South Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Counseling Psychology from Andrews University in Michigan. “Ralph’s commitment to underserved communities and his experience working with families will be an incredible asset to Raphael House during this period of growth for the organization,” said Raphael House Board Chair Kate Smith. “We are excited and looking forward to his leadership, energy and expertise in helping at-risk families break the cycle of poverty to build brighter futures.”
About Raphael House
Since 1971, Raphael House has been at the forefront of providing Bay Area families experiencing or at risk of homelessness the personalized family-centered solutions they need to build brighter futures. Raphael House is a 100% privately funded and community-supported organization. Our success rate is unmatched: 85% of all Raphael House families go on to achieve long-term stable housing and financial independence. With a spirit of warmth, compassion, and kindness at its core, Raphael House offers families short-term residential shelter and rental assistance, intensive ongoing case management, and a continuum of supportive services, such as career development and job placement, mental health counseling, financial literacy workshops, children’s services, K–12 academic tutoring and mentoring, academic and extracurricular scholarships, and family social activities aimed at strengthening the family bond. Raphael House has served nearly 20,000 children and parents since first opening its doors.
Media Contact
Kim Lessard Sr. Manager of Communications 415.345.7264 (Print this press release.)
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