The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul arrived in San Francisco. They founded Epiphany Center (formerly known as Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth) as the Roman Catholic Orphanage for children whose parents died in the cholera epidemic that devastated the City. It was located in a small wooden building on Montgomery Street.

The Daughters of charity purchased 57 acres on a hill in South San Francisco when Market Street became the bustling center of the city and no longer an ideal place for children. They built a home for 300 young orphans on Silver Avenue called Mount St. Joseph Infant Asylum (closed 1915).

On April 18 at 5:12 a.m. an earthquake violently shook San Francisco and the surrounding area. Although much of the City was destroyed, Mount St. Joseph had little damage.

Mount St. Joseph located on Newhall Street was destroyed by a fire. A new brick structure was built on the same site in 1912. Photo Credit: Archdiocese of San Francisco

The Daughters of Charity opened St. Elizabeth’s Infant Hospital for unwed mothers under the director of the medical staff at Mary’s Help Hospital (later rebuilt in Daly City and renamed Seton Medical Center). The first program was located at 2350 Van Ness in a residence provided by Archbishop Hanna.

St. Elizabeth’s soon outgrew the house on Van Ness and a new building was constructed at 100 Masonic with the generosity of B.P. Oliver.

In August, the Daughters of Charity celebrated their 100th Anniversary of helping San Francisco’s most vulnerable children and families.

The St. Elizabeth’s Auxiliary was formed to support the services to expectant mothers through volunteer hours and fundraising.

Mount St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth’s merged administration. The Mount St. Joseph program at that time was caring for teenage girls in three therapeutic group homes. St. Elizabeth’s program provided residential services for pregnant and parenting teen mothers. Residents of both programs attended an on-site nonpublic school.

At the request of the San Francisco Department of Human Services, the agency began a residential program for infants prenatally exposed to drugs to support reunification with their parents. The program changed services from residential to day care in December 2001 and provides licensed, therapeutic care to infants and toddlers.

In March, the agency began providing outpatient recovery services to women with young children. These services were called the Epiphany Center for Families in Recovery.

Epiphany Center began a contract with the Department of Human Services to provide in-home parenting support to at-risk families with children 0 to 3 years of age. In 2012, the child’s age was expanded to 5 years of age and an evidence-based parenting curriculum called SafeCare® became the primary intervention.

Epiphany Center received federal funds to provide residential drug treatment services to women. A Victorian home located on Broderick Street was remodeled to accommodate 12 women and their children.

On August 18, Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the Daughters of Charity in San Francisco and the beginning of the services to children and their families.

The agency began doing business as Epiphany Center, with Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth remaining as its legal name.

Epiphany Center offers more services to help children and mothers succeed. Our Epiphany Step-Down Program provides transitional housing and supportive aftercare services and bridges the gap between residential treatment and full independence. Our Road to Resilience Project helps women who are pregnant and/or have infants 0-12 months of age to find safety and stability through our services and referrals.

The agency successfully keeps its doors open during the Covid-19 pandemic and continued to support all of the families in its care by adapting its services and facilities to align with CDC requirements and protocols.

Epiphany Center expands its early childhood education center so that agency can provide care for double the number of children.

In partnership with San Francisco Family Treatment Court, Epiphany launches its Family Resilience Program to better meet the needs of those affected by substance dependency in San Francisco. The program is designed to provide intensive, outpatient care for those seeking to extend their recovery treatment beyond a residential setting.