DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A future homeless shelter in Daytona Beach is losing roughly $7,000 a month and it’s not even built yet.
Catholic Charities will run the shelter once it opens and is still hiring staff, writing a manual and doing information technology.
But the shelter has not been able to raise enough money to cover Catholic Charities’ $7,500 a month cost.
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That's something the director believes will change once the walls go up.
Some see the lack of walls going up on this lot off of Red John Drive as a reminder of the three years of delays and rising costs tied to Daytona Beach's 100-bed homeless shelter. Others see progress.
“Our community needs this,” said First Step Shelter executive director Mark Geallis.
The shelter had a rough start.
Construction costs doubled the price to more than $5 million and its opening date has pushed back at least five times in the last three years.
Documents show the shelter lost $7,000 in January and it's not even open.
The shelter's director said what they are doing is already making a difference.
The shelter pays Catholic Charities $7,500 a month to run it and the director's salary and travel expenses are about another $7,000 a month.
Donations have cut the $15,000 deficit in half and the shelter has $980,000 in the bank to rely on.
What happens here will determine if taxpayers will see their faith rewarded or buried for good.
The shelter director estimates there is an additional $230,000 it needs to spend to furnish the shelter.
There is also a bill in Tallahassee that would allocate $400,000 from the state to help cover those costs.
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