The Powell Foundation and Virgil's House were born from a legacy of lived experience, deep compassion, and a lifelong commitment to showing up for others.

At the heart of our story is Christine Helen Powell ("Tina"), who for over five decades was the beating heart of our family, nurturing not just a home but a set of values: empathy, dignity, and equity for all. She and her husband, Bob, met as teenagers, and their love grew into a lifelong partnership defined by laughter, devotion, and shared purpose. Together they raised a family on the belief that no one is invisible and no one is unworthy of respect. At their kitchen table, we learned that compassion isn't just a value; it's an active choice.

Founder Emily Powell Raffaele carried that blueprint forward, building on her mother's legacy of youth mentorship, Girl Scout engagement, and family advocacy. Inspired by that model of showing up in people's hardest moments, she established our organizations to bridge the gap between hard times and human hope.

Today, serving the greater Pittsburgh area, we support those experiencing homelessness, economic hardship, and social disadvantage through direct service, resource distribution, community empowerment, and safe spaces of refuge. We meet people right where they are and honor their humanity every step of the way. This is more than charity. This is kinship. Because when someone believes you matter, everything begins to change.

Virgil's House is more than a place to stay. It is a place to be seen, to be supported, and to begin again. Here, housing, healthcare, and human connection come together to restore stability and hope, with compassion without judgment and care without condition.

Virgil's House is not just built from walls and plans. It is built from love, legacy, and purpose.

Hope lives here.