Daytona Beach city commission meets to vote on homeless shelter funding

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach city commissioners will meet Wednesday evening to vote on how to pay for a new homeless shelter.

The city has agreed to join Volusia County in building the First Step Shelter.

Under the agreement, the county will pay the city $2.5 million to help with construction and an additional $400,000 during the next five years.

Plans call for the 100-bed shelter to be built built on land near the Volusia County Branch Jail.

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said building a shelter is the most humane way to handle the city's homelessness issue.

"We want to help this population to get back on their feet and become contributing members of our community," Henry said.

Aron Ardic, who owns Moonlight Pizza & Italian Grill, said he has struggled to draw customers to his restaurant because of homeless people outside.

"I see it every day," he said. "Every day around these streets, there's homeless all over the place."

Ardic said he's hopeful that building a new shelter might change that.

"Sometimes, they're sleeping on the bench on the side," he said. "It's just a bad reputation for this area."

County commissioners plan to vote on the agreement next week.

The shelter could open in January if approved for construction.

Cox Media Group