Since 1889, Felton Institute has grown alongside San Francisco, responding to changing needs with innovation, compassion, and cultural humility. In 2019, Mayor London Breed formally recognized October 30th as Felton Institute Day, praising our commitment to wraparound supports for residents. As we celebrate 136 years, we asked division leaders to reflect on milestone moments and share what they envision for Felton’s next chapter.
Children, Youth, Family, & TAY Services (CYF TAY)
Expanding Reach and Compassion to Under-Resourced Communities
One of the most significant milestones for our division has been the Early Care & Education (ECE) site expansion with co-located affordable housing. This vision, in development since 2018, is now coming to fruition with additional site openings scheduled for summer 2026. This expansion not only provides safe, stable environments where families can thrive but also strengthens our capacity to deliver high-quality, inclusive early learning for all San Francisco children.
In parallel, our Early Care and Education, Realizing Employment And Creating Hope (ECE REACH) workforce development initiative continues to grow and support the early childhood educator pipeline, ensuring we have skilled, culturally responsive professionals to staff early learning classrooms across San Francisco.
Through Supporting Early Education, Development and Socialization’s (SEEDS) partnership with the SF Early Connections Initiative, we are also bridging developmental playgroups and family-centered care coordination, creating a holistic approach that supports children’s early learning and social-emotional growth.
What excites me most is the way our division builds the future of early childhood education from the ground up, through both people and places.
Together, these milestones demonstrate how Felton invests in both people and place, delivering sustainable, scalable impact and positioning us for continued growth into new counties.
— Yohana I. Quiróz, Ed.D.
COO CYF and Capital Development Director
Through SEEDS and the SF Early Connections Initiative, we connect developmental playgroups with family-centered care coordination to support children’s early learning, social-emotional growth, and access to essential services.
Our workforce development initiatives, including ECE REACH, strengthen and grow the early childhood education workforce to ensure every child receives high-quality, culturally responsive and inclusive care.
Adult and Transitional Age Youth Services
Transforming Community
Four years ago, we assumed responsibility for a struggling historical San Francisco Drop-In Center program from another organization and successfully revitalized it. The center has transitioned from being among the least effective programs to one of the most highly regarded in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
This transformation was achieved through strategic leadership changes and staff reorganization, resulting in renewed energy and commitment to the historic program. Today, the center stands as a hallmark of the community, offering exceptional services and warm, freshly prepared meals.
What excites me most about our future is our commitment to responding to community needs. Recently, we initiated efforts in supportive housing to help stabilize the lives of many unhoused individuals in our communities.
Through strong collaborations with funding partners, community leaders, those we serve, and through the delivery of high-quality services, we are confident in our ability to make a lasting impact for the unhoused over the next 136 years.
— Marvin Davis
Chief Financial & Operations Officer
Our Harbor Haven Supportive Housing program provides stable housing and trauma-informed support to help San Francisco’s unsheltered community build stability and connection.
Bayview Drop-In Center provides essential services and a welcoming community space, supporting San Francisco residents experiencing homelessness.
Justice Services
Making Communities Safer
For the second year in a row since gathering information on this measure, 100% of Felton’s Reentry Engagement Program (REP) clients upon exit reported that REP helped them avoid incarcerations and hospitalizations. Moreover, REP has continued its record beginning in 2020, surpassing its contract’s Impact and Quality measures.
A Reentry Engagement Program client shared:
“I deeply believe this program has been a pivotal turning point in my life. I have learned how to process my emotions, make better decisions, and approach life with a clearer, more grounded mindset. I have gained deeper insight into my own mental health, which has not only made me more capable of helping myself but also allowed me to be a better father…[REP] has provided me with the tools I need to cope with the challenges life throws at me, and it has reinforced my dedication to being a positive influence for my children.”
What excites me most about the future of the justice services division is our focus and intentionality of expanding upon our existing Community Mobile Response program model, with the possibility of replicating in other cities and counties. During the 24/25 fiscal year, our Angelo Quinto Community Response Team (AQCRT) program has been recognized as having the highest call volume of similarly populated cities in the nation. In addition, I am also excited about the Justice Services Division supporting the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) model with a Reentry, Substance Use Disorder (SUDs) and Care Court component for individuals from marginalized communities experiencing mental health and homelessness.
— Curtis Penn
Division Director of System Revitalization of Impacted Communities
Felton’s AQCRT team responds 24/7 to non-emergency calls, supporting mental health, resolving conflicts, and connecting residents to community services in Antioch, CA.
BHBH in Sonoma County provides transitional shelter and 24/7 mental health support, helping residents stabilize, recover, and move toward long-term housing.
Senior Services
Meeting the Needs of Older Adults with Compassion and Care
The Senior Division continues to grow in the number of programs and in the diversity of services we design and develop to meet the changing needs of older adults, which is very exciting. We’re also pleased that many of our programs can now bring our expertise in aging to the adult population, since we know that the aging process impacts us at different stages along the life course.
Another exciting area in the Senior Division is the growing interest again in intergenerational programming. In fact, Felton’s longest, continuously running program is the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program, a federal program that started as a national demonstration project in 1965 with seniors connecting with children and youth. We are looking forward to Felton’s growing leadership in this area, since we have always retained as a core value our work across the age spectrum.
Felton’s Tech Squad is one recent and exciting initiative that we have developed in the Senior Division. Today, we live in a digital world that permeates almost everything we do, but we know that not everyone has access or the knowledge and tools to use technology in the way most of us take for granted every day.
Bridging the digital divide has become essential work, whether it’s training older adults in digital literacy or young children in cybersecurity, or watching an older adult with depression, never connected to the internet before, and frankly, didn’t see any reason to, now be introduced to YouTube by our Tech Squad. We love to watch clients like this drop their jaws in amazement and delight when they learn that they can watch their favorite bands perform as they remember them from earlier times. We’ve witnessed this transformation repeated with our work of the Tech Squad, which is very rewarding for everyone involved!
— Cathy Spensley
Division Director of Older Adults and Process Management
At the Richmond Senior Center in San Francisco, Felton’s Tech Squad guides older adults as they learn new technology skills.
Celebrating 60 Years! The AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program, operated by Felton Institute in San Francisco, has been supporting children’s growth since 1965.
Training, Research, & Evaluation (TRE)
Investing in Learning, Investing in Community
We are so excited about the latest addition to our training roster, the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification (PSSC) training. The Training, Research & Evaluation (TRE) team has trained three cohorts of learners with lived experience so far.
Based on growing capacity in this area, we are looking forward to expanding our learning offerings with more opportunities for peers, case managers and our partners in the larger service community. With these efforts and the acquisition of the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) funding for supporting the behavioral health workforce, our team is excited to continue seeking new investments that support our amazing staff across Felton.
The collaboration and integration of TRE and Felton’s Development team are reflected in several major strategic initiatives in the past year. The Development team not only secured the funding for our PSSC training but also applied for and received the technical assistance (TA) contracts for TRE in two counties. This TA work allowed us to build relationships with (and shepherd the work of) over 35 community-based organizations meeting a variety of needs around the Bay Area.
— Robin S. Ortiz, Ph.D.
Director of Business Development
At a recent Felton Institute–facilitated event, nonprofit executives participated in peer learning, coaching, and fund development sessions, supported by the San Francisco Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD), to strengthen their impact in communities of color.
Early Psychosis Services
Healing Young Lives Through Early Intervention
In almost two decades of providing psychosis prevention and early intervention, our greatest milestone is watching young people move from crisis to confidence, proving recovery is possible. We are witnesses to them reclaiming their lives and futures, with renewed goals, hope and connection.
However big or small—returning to college after resurfacing from crisis, starting a career, engaging in a meaningful romantic relationship, becoming an engaged parent, or reconnecting with family and personal faith—these stories underscore the power of early intervention, strong family partnerships, and the dedication of Felton staff, reminding the community why this work matters so deeply.
As Felton Institute celebrates 136 years of service, the future of its Early Psychosis Services division is filled with promise. What excites us most is the opportunity to expand access to life-changing care, at the earliest possible stage, so every young person feels seen, supported, and empowered.
By investing in innovation, deepening community partnerships, and centering the voices of those participating in services, Felton will continue to serve as a leader in early psychosis care—building healthier futures for generations to come.
— Adriana Furuzawa
Division Director of Early Psychosis
(re)MIND® supports youth and young adults experiencing early psychosis, providing treatment, recovery, and connection at sites in San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, and Alameda.
As we celebrate this milestone, one truth remains clear:
Felton’s strength has always come from the people we serve and the partnerships we share. The next 136 years will bring change and challenge, but also possibility – and together, we will continue building stronger communities, one life at a time.
Felton Institute responds to the needs of our community by providing innovative, evidence-informed social services to transform lives. Our organization offers 50+ programs that address mental health, the unhoused, early care and education, those impacted by the justice system, transitional age youth, as well as aging adults. Our award-winning programs, which have been recognized as national models, combine the latest scientific research with cultural sensitivity and a deep commitment to supporting and reflecting the communities we serve.
Founded in 1889, Felton is the oldest secular non-profit social services provider in the City and County of San Francisco. We have expanded our services across most Bay Area counties and continue to be at the forefront of pioneering new approaches to meet the emerging needs of underserved populations.
We know what it looks like to successfully build community.
We foster impactful change by strengthening the community as a premiere service provider. We also strengthen other service providers by supporting them in their fiscal, human resources, communications, IT and overall agency operations. With Felton’s support, they are able to focus on providing the best services to their clients, doing the work they were meant to do.
Felton empowers the community and ensures successful outcomes to all we engage with.
Felton Institute is a tax-exempt organization registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under EIN 94-1156530.