by Saul Perez
Social action and digital media coordinator of the Office of Human Life & Dignity, Archdiocese of San Francisco. perezsa@sfarch.org
Every day, more than 1,200 people across the Archdiocese of San Francisco receive food, shelter, counseling, housing assistance or other direct support through Society of St. Vincent de Paul organizations in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties.
“It’s not something you get into to be glamorous or to get awards,” said Joe Stark, St. Gabriel parishioner and president of the Archdiocese of San Francisco board that oversees SVdP in all three counties. “It is something you do to help others and also to live your faith and be thankful we have the opportunity to serve others.”
Stark, president of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Board and District Council of Conferences for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco, emphasized that the values of service and faith have guided the society since its founding in 1833 at the Sorbonne in Paris and continue to shape the work of volunteers and staff worldwide.
Its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, modeled the lay-led SVdP on the life and philosophy of the French saint of the poor, St. Vincent de Paul. He was guided by Blessed Rosalie Rendu, a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
“Listening and presence are as important as material aid, and this is a super rewarding work,” said Dan Winnike, president of the Church of the Nativity SVdP parish conference in Menlo Park. Home visits to see what an individual or family needs and then confidentially provide rental help, grocery gift cards and more are the core of the work of the parish SVdP conferences as envisioned by Blessed Ozanam.
The parish conferences, active in more than half of the 90 archdiocesan parishes, are volunteer ministries that include organized prayer-based meetings and rules for helping those in need in their area. A number of parishes operate food pantries as well.
A second type of SVdP organization exists in all three counties. These are 501(c)(3) nonprofits, referred to as Vincentian special works or particular councils, that operate homeless shelters, free dining rooms, domestic violence shelters and more. The conferences are parish-based and volunteer-led, while societies bring the conferences from an area together as a council to address broader community needs that require a professional workforce as well as support from volunteers and the parish conferences.
SVdP-SF runs two adult homeless shelters, a small transitional youth shelter, two domestic violence shelters, a domestic violence walk-in service community office and, in partnership with two other service providers, a 24/7 bilingual crisis line. SVdP-Marin operates Vinnies, a free dining room, and has Homeless Outreach Teams who work throughout the county. SVdP-San Mateo has a homeless help line, two nonresidential homeless centers, a small women’s sober living recovery home and three thrift stores.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco: Meeting crisis with comprehensive care
Approximately 570 individuals served daily
In San Francisco, the first Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference was established in 1860. Early work included homeless services, alcohol recovery support, orphan placement and thrift stores.
In the 1980s, the SVdP-SF special works council rebooted its focus to homelessness and domestic violence. Today, it delivers 24/7 “wraparound” services in partnership with San Francisco city and county, San Francisco SVdP conferences, local organizations, employers and corporations, said Father Andres Emmanuelli, chief development officer. Guests enter the homeless shelters through the city’s coordinated entry system – which can also be accessed by phone — and are assigned individualized case management upon arrival. Domestic violence survivors access help by calling the 24/7 Riley Center crisis line and receiving assessments and resources.
“Our mission is to help people get what they need to succeed in life — not to add to the problem, but to be part of the solution,” Father Emmanuelli said.
SVdP-SF operates a 329-bed Multi-Service Center, which is Northern California’s largest homeless shelter. Guests may bring their pets, and receive meals, medical and mental health care, and employment and housing assistance. The center provides breakfast and dinner funded by the city and county of San Francisco. Working at their own sites, the conferences and others make sandwich lunches and deliver them to the center. Volunteer-made lunches are currently received approximately 20 days per month.
The 186-bed Division Circle Navigation Center is one of a city network of navigation centers and is a modern sprung-tent structure. It prioritizes placement into permanent housing. An eight-bed shelter for young adults aged 18 to 27 offers housing vouchers and referrals. Two domestic violence shelters – Rosalie House and Brennan House — house up to 55 individuals daily. SVdP-SF’s domestic violence shelters are the only ones that serve men as well as women and children who are victims of domestic violence. The Riley Center Community Office includes a drop-in center and other nonresidential support for abuse survivors and their children, including a 24-hour multilingual crisis line operated in partnership with two other service providers.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County: Addressing homelessness
Approximately 500 people served daily in the free dining room
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County’s first conference was founded in 1946. Today the society operates “Vinnies,” Marin County’s only free dining room, located in downtown San Rafael, and serves 500 meals daily: breakfast and lunch on site and dinner to go. It distributed more than $1.1 million in rental assistance and emergency aid last year. Homeless Outreach Team, launched in 2016, identifies and works with chronically unhoused individuals who are isolated, sick, disabled, addicted or mentally ill. It provides housing, case management, mental health and community support services, including a housing help desk and a Sober Living Environment program.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County: Charity rooted in parish life
Approximately 130–150 people served daily at each of the two homeless help centers
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County is parish centered. Its first conference was founded in 1931 at Holy Angels Parish in Colma. Thirty-three parish conferences form the backbone of service, conducting home visits to serve neighbors in need with groceries,
household necessities and rent and utilities assistance. Many of the parish conferences stock food pantries and host regular food distribution events.
The Peninsula Family Resource Center Help Line serves as an intake hub, receiving roughly 70 calls per day and connecting individuals to their local parish conference.
There are two Homeless Help Centers — one in downtown San Mateo and another in South San Francisco — that provide daily food assistance serving 130 to 150 people each morning, including working individuals, seniors, veterans and those suffering from physical and mental disabilities. In addition to meals, these centers provide clothing, sleeping bags, toiletries and mail services, offering an address for homeless individuals to receive important correspondence and benefits.
Three thrift stores generate funding for the society’s work and provide vouchers for families to shop for clothing and basic necessities at no charge.
Other services include short-term rental assistance and the Rosalie House, a transitional sober-living home for six women overcoming addition.
SVdP stories of hope and help
Marin County:
The Marin County SVdP parish conferences rallied recently to help an elderly woman who couldn’t pay her March rent. In February 2026, the woman contacted the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin through its B Street downtown San Rafael direct help line. Due to her
geographic location, her information was shared with the St. Isabella’s conference. The parish SVdP members learned she couldn’t pay the March rent, and was also undergoing treatment for breast cancer, adding to the financial strain she was facing.
The conference met and put out a call to neighboring parish conferences for support. Six parish conferences responded immediately, with one additional conference expected to contribute soon. “One more check is still expected from another conference,” said Marie Zeiter, former treasurer of the conference and spouse of Jim Zeiter, the current president.
As of mid-February, the conferences had collected more than $2,000 to pay the woman’s rent.
San Mateo County:
Stewart Hyland, president of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto, shared a story of how what initially seemed like a setback became a moment of grace. “What felt like a nuisance — my car breaking down — ended up opening a door. That’s the Holy Spirit right there. That kind of grace,” he said. Hyland was on his way to deliver food to a woman he had known for years when his car unexpectedly broke down. Riding his bike to retrieve the parish van, he ran into Daughter of Charity Sister Trinitas Hernandez, known as “Sister T,” who gave him a $100 check for the woman. When Hyland arrived at the woman’s home, the visit turned into a reunion — the woman remembered his children by name, and the financial support proved as important as the food.
San Francisco County:
“Marcus” (name changed for confidentiality) was chronically homeless and in and out of shelters for years before he entered SVdP-SF’s Division Circle Navigation Center through a referral from the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. Today, after nine months at Division Circle, Marcus is living independently. The wraparound services were key, said SVdP-SF’s Father Andres Emmanuelli, who said a case manager interviewed Marcus and connected him with the Department of Public Health for a mental health evaluation and then therapy. With self-sufficiency and housing as the goal, Marcus received a voucher to get an ID at the California Department of Motor Vehicles and had help obtaining other documents necessary to find a job and housing. His case manager worked with him to create a resume, practice interview skills and sign up for employment training opportunities. Marcus is now living in a small apartment in North Beach, has a job working as a janitor and has reconnected with his daughter.
Ways to give to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
In San Francisco:
DONATE HERE!
Checks can be made to and sent to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco. 1175 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
In Marin County:
By check: St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County, P. O. Box 150527
San Rafael, CA 94915
In San Mateo
