Raphael House

Raphael House is an innovative shelter in the Tenderloin, San Francisco, California  which provides transitional housing and support programs for parents and children who are suffering from homelessness.

Established in 1971 at Gough and McAllister Streets, Raphael House was the first shelter for homeless families in the city. It has been located on Sutter Street since 1977. It is a non-profit organization which accepts no government funding, relying upon San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy which has become increasingly innovative. (Not all offers of support, however, are accepted.)

From 1979 through 1999, Raphael House also operated Brother Juniper's Restaurant, an on-site breakfast café named for Saint Juniper. Though it had brought Raphael House a welcome albeit small net profit for twenty years, the expense of renovating its kitchens and the need for additional space for the children's afterschool tutorial center combined to require its closure.