1853

Marked the organization’s formation “to render Protection and Assistance to strangers, to sick and dependent Women and Children”. For the first three years the Society focused on boarding women in benefactor’s homes, while also operating an employment agency to give women jobs and wages

1863

Established their first dedicated care home on Franklin between Geary & Post. Image courtesy of Western Neighborhoods Project / OpenSFHistory.org

1920

The government mandated foster care as the preferred choice for children, and the “Ark” closed down. The need to care for San Francisco’s elderly women was now more pressing than ever.