VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The city of New Smyrna Beach is taking a step towards reducing homelessness in the community.

City officials are partnering with First Step Shelter in Daytona Beach to provide services and help get people off the streets.

Police Chief Eric Feldman says this partnership offers an alternative to people suffering from homelessness and prevents them from violating city ordinances by living in the streets.

“We really do want to address the root problem, which is finding a better situation, a better solution for them overall,” Feldman said.

The New Smyrna Beach Police department says it has a full-time officer who works with the homeless and it recently hired two mental health clinicians. 

Feldman said the city does a homeless count once a year. According to that count, there are about 70 to 80 people who are living in the streets. That’s more than the previous count.

“That in of itself is to me anything more than one is too many," he said. "We want folks to experience a positive change in their life and we don’t look at homelessness as a crime.” 

To help find that positive change, the city partnered with First Step Shelter in Daytona Beach.

“We’re very excited about this new partnership with First Step," Feldman said. First Step Shelter is the opportunity for folks that are living a life that is transient, known as homeless, to participate in a program that truly is going to take them out of that situation.” 

The First Step Shelter’s executive director Victoria Fahlberg says they offer three core programs to help the homeless. The organization has an outreach program provided by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in which if a resident sees someone on the street that they think is a homeless person, they can call and a member of the staff alongside a Volusia County deputy will go out and make a visit to this person.

The shelter also has a safe zone.

“The Safe Zone is an outdoor pavilion where people can spend the night. If the officer in one of the cities decides that they’re committing, for example, a minor ordinance violation," Fahlberg said. "So instead of taking them to the city jail or arresting them, they have the option now of just bringing them out to our Safe Zone.”

Additionally, First Step Shelter offers a Health and Housing Program, which has a wraparound service from addressing medical concerns, social needs, addictions, and financial needs the person may have.

“And once they have stable income, which we also address, then we’re able to put them in housing," she said. "And our goal is when we put them there is that they’re sustainable so that they’re not having to be out on the street anymore.” 

Over the last three and a half years, 1,009 people have come through the First Step Shelter. Out of that total, they have helped 528 find permanent housing.

“We’re proud of the success that we’ve had. I’m really excited to be working with New Smyrna Beach so that we can help them with the people that they’re trying to help,” Fahlberg said.

Fahlberg will be meeting with the New Smyrna Beach Police Department on Tuesday for a training on how officers can make referrals to the Safe Zone as part of the shelter program.

Commissioners approved the partnership last week, but the contract still needs to be finalized.