DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — First Step Shelter, a transitional shelter for the homeless in Daytona Beach, is celebrating its five-year anniversary.

In that time, it has helped nearly 1,600 people get off the streets and start over, all while seeing a spike in demand over the past year.

According to shelter officials, 2024 was their busiest year yet, as they saw their daily census increase by 66% over the course of the year, hitting full capacity in December. First Step had 544 residents in the shelter program compared to 357 in 2023. It also had more than 822 visits to its safe zone, compared to 636 the previous year.

Among the shelter newcomers in 2024 was Neena Desens. While she stays at the shelter, she’s taken on the task of shelter laundry. While many find doing the wash a chore, it's where Desens finds her peace.

“It relaxes me and gives me something to do,” Desens said.  

She spends all day in the laundry room at the First Step Shelter, washing away the mistakes of her past, cleansing her way to a new beginning. Desens became homeless last September after falling victim to a social media scam, sending her savings to someone with whom she thought she was in a relationship.

“I was stupid enough to trust, put my trust in somebody that I didn't know,” Desens said.

She never got her money back and was no longer able to pay rent, which led to her being evicted.

“It just hit me that I was homeless and had nowhere to go,” Desens said.

After a few days, she was referred to the First Step Shelter, where she’s been living for the past three months and building her savings back up.

“They were there to help, and they are helping me and I'm so grateful for them,” Desens said.

Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg has had a front-row seat to helping more than 1,600 who have found refuge in the shelter since it opened five years ago.

“We have about 60 people, men, who stay in this dorm, and then there's beds for 40 women over on the other side,” said Fahlberg, showing the dorms.  

She said while it’s been a ton of hard work, this shelter was much needed and offers services not found anywhere else in Volusia County.

“People who come here are really in a bad place,” Fahlberg said. “It's not just about losing their housing, but many of them, we're the only, I mean, we are the only place they can go.”

Reviewing the numbers, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined 94% of the people First Step has helped get into housing still have a roof over their heads two years later. However, in the past year, First Step has seen a huge increase in people needing to stay at the shelter.

“So, in January of 2024, we had about 60 people every day, and in December of 2024, we ended the year pretty much at a hundred,” said Fahlberg. “So that was an increase of 67% in one year. That is a lot of people per day to increase. So that's like 40 extra people per day over the year.”

Fahlberg said she believes operating at full capacity will be the shelter's new normal. While she said it’s been a challenge to stretch the organization's resources, being there to help people like Desens is what it's all about — and it's what it will continue to do.

For Desens, she is ready to have her life back on track, preparing to move out in the coming weeks. When it comes to having her own space again, she’s most excited to reflect on how far she’s come with the help of the shelter. 

“Think about life itself and how well I have it again,” she said.

In order to keep up with the high demand for services, the First Step Shelter relies on fundraising efforts. Its biggest, the 3rd Annual Mayors Gala, is coming up Feb. 8. For more information, visit the shelter's website.