Located at 1038 Howard Street in San Francisco, the Ark House is a program dedicated to keeping kids (ages 18-24) off the streets and allows them time to save money for independent housing in the process. Every resident has their own unique story about why they�re there, and not all of them were homeless before they came in.

The intake process generally involves a referral at first. Typically speaking, it takes about two weeks for a resident to be admitted into the house, but with winter rapidly approaching, people have been getting in quicker and quicker.
The program allows a thirty day probationary period in which the new resident is give time to look for a job or get on G.A. if necessary. During this probationary period, you are supposed to write a few essays about your life, your position, etc., though I got away with not doing it for over a month. You are also expected to adhere to a 10p.m. weekdays and midnight on weekends curfew, and this is one by which I was not able to get away with not abiding. So some policies are enforced a little more strictly than others, but generally not to the point of making the staff out to be a bunch of pushovers. After this probationary period, however, the curfew is extended to 11pm on weekdays and 2am on weekends.
That brings us to the people in charge of the program. There appears to be three main people with maybe one higher-up. The rest of the staff is primarily relief workers who work weekends and the days others have requested off. Most of them are very nice, but there are one or two who just seem to enjoy their position of authority a tad bit too much.
Then there are the residents. The program was originally intended for LGBTQ youth, but has become �straight-friendly� as one director explained to me. Heterosexuals do remain a minority within the house, however. Almost every resident is very friendly, though there have been episodes in which certain residents would steal from others. Thievery does not go unpunished, however, because if they cannot find who the thief is, the entire house is put on lockdown. If they can, however, then the thief is discharged immediately. So stealing things is very inadvisable, because it�s generally pretty obvious who did what and then everyone will hate you.
The house has a small ensemble of activities to do inside such as watching local news channels, playing with the glass chess set which is missing a piece, or watch movies on the DVD player or VCR. There is a patio out back for smoking since you cannot smoke inside. It has a wonderful, slightly off-balance table with an umbrella to protect you from rain, although somewhat inadequately, or shield you from the harmful rays of sunlight which burn out your eyes and turn vampires to dust.
There is a kitchen, but no stove or oven. There is a conventional oven, however, but it can still only boast the capacity to bake two pigeons (if you�re in to that) at most. Generally it is used for chicken nuggets and other such items. The house does provide food, but you are still expected to share with the other residents and not eat the food bought by someone else for themselves. There are simple food items such as waffles, chicken nuggets, cereal, milk, peanut butter, bread, and so forth, all of which are provided by the house. There are supposed to be kitchen hours and rules, but no one has really developed any remotely sensible theory on what these might be.
The bed situation is a fairly simple one. Most new residents are placed in a cubicle first, but then, after being there for a while, they are sometimes allowed to share a room with someone. I prefer my cubicle, even though there�s no lock, or even a door for that matter. I still get a sheet to deter prying eyes.
You are allowed to stay in the program for a total of 12-18 months, and I think that depends on your situation, though, once again, no one�s really certain. You can elect to leave during your stay and still choose to come back at a later time if you need to. However, if you are discharged from the program for any reason such as stealing, you will not be allowed readmission to the program ever again.
All in all, it�s a pretty good place. There�s minimal drama, a bathroom, showers, a bed to sleep in, and good company for those long and boring days. I�ve enjoyed my stay there, so far, though it is kind of weird to go from living on the streets and being able to just wander around all night to having to come in at now 11pm. Small sacrifices, though. Especially now that it�s been raining more.

www.arkofrefuge.org/arkhouse.html
To contact the Ark House, call: 415-861-5382, M-F

"The Ark of Refuge is administering the first-ever transitional living facility specificaly targeting LGBTQQ young adults in San Francisco...

...The goal of the Ark House it to assist homeless LGBTQQ young adults with stabilizing their lives and
establishing greater health and indepdendence through a clean, safe and supportive congregate living environment, on-site counseling, and referrals to a network of supportive services.

The Ark House will benefit specifically from its strong partnership with the Dimensions Health Clinic, which is composed of:
New Leaf Services for Our Community,
LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Services)
Castro Mission Health Center." Quotes off their own website