Richard Lucero, deputy director of St. Elizabeth Shelter in Santa Fe, checks inventory for the shelter's temporary housing program. Lucero along with co-director Erin Taylor help to run the shelter's three housing programs. Photo by Rebecca Martinez, Community Relations (CRO) Office At St. Elizabeth Shelter in Santa Fe, individuals and families who find themselves homeless have a place to stay, either in the agency's temporary shelter, or in one of its long-term facilities. Staff at the shelter work to provide homeless people with shelter and a chance to make a life for themselves off the street.
Interim Co-Director Erin Taylor recognizes the importance of providing homeless people with the chance to become contributing members of the community. "They have a lot to offer," Taylor said.
Taylor said the shelter helps people move out of homelessness. "We really try to work with people to end homelessness in their lives," she said.
St. Elizabeth Shelter has initiated a number of programs to assist in the fight against homelessness. "We have a full range of services to end homelessness," Taylor said, noting the agency's temporary shelter, the Family Transitional Housing program and the Casa Cerrillos Supportive Living program. Individuals in urgent need of a place to stay can reside at the temporary shelter for up to 30 days. They receive housing, meals and clothing. Caseworkers also consult with clients to ensure that they are on their way to becoming independent.
Transitional Family Housing was created to help homeless families move into permanent housing. Any homeless family in search of affordable housing may apply to become a part of transitional housing. Families are accepted into the program according to the level of need and the availability of apartments. Accepted families can then live in the facility for up to two years while they build their savings and make plans for permanent housing.
The Casa Cerrillos Supportive Living program is an apartment complex where homeless people with mental and physical disabilities can find permanent housing. The apartments are cost efficient and the residents can stay there as long as necessary.
The programs run by St. Elizabeth Shelter are available to homeless people from across the state. "We serve folks from all over New Mexico," Taylor said.
St. Elizabeth Shelter receives funding from the United Way. One of the main goals of the shelter is to establish long-term success for their clients. The agency works to ensure that their clients find stability in their lives, even after their departure from the shelter and its programs.
Taylor said that not only does the shelter keep in contact with its previous clients, but its clients also provide constant, positive feedback to the agency. "Sometimes people write to us to tell us how they are," Taylor said. "When we hear about the successes, that's what we're all in it for."
It is the difference that the shelter makes in people's lives that keeps the staff at the St. Elizabeth Shelter going. "Some of the staff have been at the shelter for more than 10 years," Taylor said, adding that working at the shelter "takes a lot of dedication."
It is no easy task to keep three programs running year-round with a handful of staff members. That is why the St. Elizabeth Shelter is happy to have the help of numerous volunteers who dedicate their time at the shelter.
These volunteers come from all over the country to contribute their talents to the agency. The shelter has interns that live at the shelter for one-year periods. These interns gain volunteer work experience and take what they have learned to other places. "We had one intern leave to work at an AIDS clinic in Puerto Rico," Taylor said.
So the shelter not only benefits homeless people, but also those who work and volunteer there. These people take their experiences on to others and the shelter experiences a ripple effect of positive change that the agency has helped to make.