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New outreach program seeks to address homelessness in Volusia County

The partnership between Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, First Step Shelter starts Aug. 1

Picture by Pixabay (Pixabay)

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with First Step Shelter to address homelessness in east Volusia County.

The partnership will include an outreach program for those experiencing homelessness and deploy a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. public hotline for county businesses and residents to request services for people they believe are in need.

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First Step Shelter’s “Eastern Volusia Homeless Outreach Team” is slated to start on Aug. 1 with a deputy accompanying an outreach worker in visiting people who may be candidates for the shelter or other resources, the sheriff’s office said.

“Our goal is to meet people where they are and give them a chance to access the services they might need,” Dr. Victoria Fahlberg, First Step’s executive director, said in a news release. “For those who are looking for a new path, we can be that first step to starting a new life in stable housing.”

The goal of the program is able to expand its outreach to Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet to help more candidates.

First Step Shelter said it will invite people to the “safe zone” where it provides beds, bathrooms, food and water. For those who accept the invitation, the shelter will arrange transportation and a deputy will begin a background check process for formal admission to the shelter program.

The shelter, which opened in Daytona Beach in 2019, said its current capacity is 60 single adult residents, but they expect to expand that number to 70 with additional staffing.

First Step Shelter said it also offers other resources like counseling services and helps those in need find employment and housing.

“There’s no quick fix to end homelessness anywhere in America, but we can make a difference in our own community by working together,” said Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry, who serves as chairman of First Step Shelter’s board of directors. “With the outreach and collaboration this project brings to bear, I believe the public is going to see what’s possible for those who take advantage of everything the First Step Shelter has to offer.”

The new hotline for those who need services or wish to request services on behalf of someone else in need is 386-999-HELP.

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