SERVICES
Rosalie House Emergency Shelter
In San Francisco there are more than 9,000 reported incidents of domestic
violence against women and children every year. The continued battering
of a mother and her children is frequently coupled with her perception that
she has no alternatives to this brutality. The only recourse that they have
may be a shelter that offers confidentiality and safety. The Riley Center's
Rosalie House houses approximately 100 women and their children every year.
The Rosalie House is a 12week, 25 bed facility. Services available to residents
include shelter, food, individual and group counseling, case management
services, parenting groups, employment referrals, and a children's program.
Families are provided with a room of their own, though space limitations
may necessitate that women without children share rooms. Residents share
common living areas, and participate in the upkeep of the shelter by rotating
house chores.
Rosalie House serves women and their children who are victims of physical,
sexual, or emotional abuse, with priority to those in immediate danger.
Referrals come from hospitals, police, social service agencies and by word
of mouth. Women seeking shelter should call the crisis line for a telephone
intake.
Once the family has settled in at the shelter, a counselor meets with them
for a complete orientation and in-depth personal assessment of their needs
in order to help them begin to establish realistic goals for their 12 week
stay. Needs include obtaining medical care, counseling, substance use counseling,
job search assistance, housing, benefits advocacy, restraining orders, etc.
The woman and her children continue to receive counseling and attend group
support meetings throughout their stay as they cope with the emotional effects
of violence and separation, and with the practical problems of establishing
a new way of life independent of the battering partner. By offering comprehensive
services to victims in crisis, The Riley Center's Rosalie House provides
a bridge between abuse and a safe, violence-free life.