Richards was married in 1904 in Chicago to David Travis, with whom she had a son, Clarence.
She married Richards in 1917 and they moved to San Bernardino, California where she received her RN before opening Rockhaven.
[4][8] She required the women at Rockhaven to dress and attend meals in the dining hall, believing this would boost their self-esteem and overall well-being as a consequence.
[8] As the neighborhood around Rockhaven transitioned from a rural to suburban environment, some nearby residents objected to living near a mental health facility.
[8] Richards applied to expand in 1928 and met with accusations that she was an alcoholic and her "insane patients... ran screaming down the streets of the suburbs at unenjoyable hours of the night".