A portion of a 12-acre parcel of city-owned land near Siler Road and Agua Fría Street might be available for an emergency shelter and one-stop shop for services for the homeless, Mayor David Coss said Tuesday.

Coss was speaking at a lunch held for St. Elizabeth Shelter at Hotel Santa Fe.

He said four or five acres might be left over from a planned Public Works Department expansion at the site. The property is next to the city transit terminal. "Perhaps that's the place," he said, for a facility serving the homeless.

But, such a facility would be down the road a bit, and Coss added: "We also have to think about this winter."

Last year, St. Elizabeth helped staff an overnight shelter for women and children that rotated among various churches in the community. Because it was at different locations, "It didn't serve very many people and was a little confusing," said Hank Hughes, director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. A semipermanent location is being sought.

A city-funded emergency shelter and a central location for access to job assistance, health evaluations and other services were part of a report last June from the Blue Ribbon Task Force to End Homelessness. Coss asked the group for a plan that would end homelessness within five years. The task force report was endorsed by the City Council in December.

A one-stop shop is essential in combating homelessness, said Deborah Tang, executive director of St. Elizabeth Shelter. As just one example, mental-health assessments can take between two weeks and three months, she said.

Quicker access to housing and benefit information could be a "springboard to getting people back on their feet faster," Hughes said.

Demand for shelter continues to be high. The task force reported that in January 2007 there were at least 917 homeless people in Santa Fe.

Last year, St. Elizabeth served 2,636 people, including 469 at the main shelter and 390 at the overflow shelter. The shelter also reported 119 people were accommodated in transitional housing in 2007.

St. E's has 34 beds in its main facility and provides staffing for an overflow shelter for men at the Salvation Army during the winter.

It also operates three transitional housing programs. Sonrisa serves mostly women and children. The 30 units in Casa Cerrillos are for people with mental illness. And the Siringo project provides housing for people age 55 and older.

The shelter received $104,000 from the Legislature this year for the planning and design of a shelter for women and children, Tang said.

Board member Dennis Yares announced the shelter is renting the new Santa Fe civic and convention center on Oct. 18 for a benefit and art auction to raise money to offset its deficit and provide a cushion for its operating budget.

Contact Anne Constable at 986-3022 or aconstable@sfnewmexican.com.