- April 26, 2024
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The First Step Homeless Shelter in Daytona Beach will likely have a safe zone — as long as it's approved by Daytona's city manager and commission — thanks to a $250,000 donation by Board member Rose Ann Tornatore.
It was a donation that left Daytona Beach Mayor and Board Chairman Derrick Henry speechless, and received a standing ovation by all members of the Board and the audience at the meeting held on Monday, Jan. 27.
“I didn’t expect this," Henry said.
Tornatore, owner of Wholesale Lighting, Inc. in Daytona, said it was vital for the shelter to have a safe zone. That area should cost around $150,000, she said, and the remaining funds from her donation can be used for other improvements in the shelter, such as security.
“I can’t thank this community enough for making my life worthwhile,” said Tornatore, who had shared details of growing up with very little.
With funding figured out, the Board was then tasked with designating in what area the safe zone should be located. First Step Shelter Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg presented the Board with four different options: two options put the safe zone in the front of the building, and the other two in the back.
After looking at the areas, the Board decided on building the safe zone in the front of the building to the east, and once built out, it will accommodate up to 73 people. Board Member and Ormond Beach City Commissioner Dwight Selby suggested placing a temporary safe zone in the area in the back until the permanent one is completed (the back area is already paved and could hold eight people). However, security concerns and the desire to not have people outside the program walking through the building ended in a tied vote for Selby's motion, and it failed.
But, that doesn't mean the shelter won't have a temporary safe zone, or "transition area" as the board discussed renaming it. The Board directed a risk assessment be completed by police, and recommendations will be brought to the Board at a later date.
Selby said having the safe zone will also create an opportunity for the homeless population to see the shelter.
"Once they get close to it, and they spend some time nearby, I think we can begin to build relationships with some of these people and begin to convince them that they're better off in the program, than they are where they're living now," Selby said.
Looking into how to increase capacity should also be a Board concern, he later added. Henry said that the shelter can't meet its occupancy objective without raising money, and that they've only been open for 45 days.
"We have to get beyond simply being a policy board and reaction to the issues that we have, because ultimately, our objective is to allow Victoria and Bill and all of them to be able to run a smooth ship," Henry said.
