When St. Elizabeth Shelter opened its doors to Santa Fe's homeless population 25 years ago, Ed Archuleta was one of the first volunteers to sign up.

"They put me to work right away," he recalled recently. "I liked it so much I quit my job and moved into the shelter."

Archuleta cooked, cleaned, counseled, administered paperwork and provided hospitality to some of Santa Fe's neediest — all without pay.

He left a full-time salary plus benefits to be the shelter's first intern in 1986. At the end of the day, he said, helping the homeless fulfilled a desire his bureaucratic job couldn't.

"I wasn't happy at my job, and I fell in love with St. Elizabeth's. I felt I was contributing more to society," he said. "Working with homeless one-on-one, you can make a difference pretty fast."

Archuleta enjoyed the service so much that after sitting on St. Elizabeth Shelter's board of directors from 1988 to 1996, he returned last year to intern. Now he is part of the organizing effort to celebrate St. Elizabeth Shelter's 25th anniversary.

"We want to say 'thank you' to the people in Santa Fe," he said, "because we couldn't do this without the support from the community."

St. Elizabeth Shelter will host an open house at each of its five facilities from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

When he returned last year, Archuleta was astounded by the shelter's transformation from a single house with 25 beds to a citywide network of five houses with more than 100 beds. "We used to sleep women and children in a small room, and the men would sleep in the basement," he said. "It's grown quite a bit."

St. Elizabeth Shelter's five houses provide living assistance for people of all ages and at various stages of need. More than 20 staff and volunteers are responsible for overseeing the operation.

The men's emergency shelter, 804 Alarid St., offers 30 beds, meals, mail and counseling services. Casa Familia Women and Family Shelter, 1604 Berry Ave., can house as many as 30 women and their families.

Casa Cerrillos Supportive Living Program, 3811 1/2 Cerrillos Road, offers 28 efficiency apartments at below-market rent for single adults with physical and mental disabilities. People enrolled in the program are offered counseling and life-skills training to help them become independent. Sonrisa Family Transitional Living Program, 6321 Jaguar Drive, and Siringo Senior Housing Program, 1905 Siringo Road, are designed to offer similar services to families and senior citizens.

"We were trying to put a Band-Aid on the issue of homelessness by helping immediate needs. Since then, we've grown to be there for continuing care," said Deborah Tang, St. Elizabeth Shelter's executive director.

And for Archuleta, the rewards will continue.

"It's an incredible feeling to know we've made a difference in people's lives," he said.

Contact Shaun Griswold at 986-3052 or sgriswold@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: St. Elizabeth Shelter's 25th anniversary open house

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday

Where: Five locations: Men's Emergency Shelter, 804 Alarid St.; Casa Familia Women and Family Shelter, 1604 Berry Ave.; Casa Cerrillos Supportive Living Program, 3811 1/2 Cerrillos Road; Siringo Senior Housing Program, 1905 Siringo Road; Sonrisa Family Transitional Living, Program 6321 Jaguar Drive.