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City credits 1st Step Shelter partnership, outreach for drop in unhoused count
Summary
In the State of the City video and address, officials said partnerships with 1st Step Shelter and the community outreach unit helped reduce New Smyrna Beach's counted unhoused population from 110 in 2024 to 54 in 2025 and placed residents into housing.
A video played at New Smyrna Beach's State of the City highlighted the mayor's partnership with 1st Step Shelter and the city's community outreach unit as key to recent reductions in the local unhoused population.
In the presentation, a city speaker credited the shelter and outreach team with helping 62 residents receive support and said the police department's count of people experiencing homelessness declined "from 110 in 2024 to 54 in 2025." The presenter described the approach as "a humane structured approach that reflects our community's values." (presenter identified in the program video as a Zone commissioner.)
Officials said 1st Step Shelter and related programs connect people to services, stabilize them and help place residents into permanent housing. The presentation cited larger program figures, including more than 421,000 meals served and 1,100 people placed into permanent housing (figures cited in the commissioners' video). The city also identified local partners including AdventHealth, Lady Star of the Sea congregation and the NSB Police Department.
What was not presented: the transcript records the counts and program outcomes as statements by city presenters; the address did not include independent documentation or agency reports in the event. Cleveland characterized the work as "breaking the cycle of dependency" and urged continued cross-agency cooperation.
The city said work on homelessness continues through the mayor's task force on homelessness and outreach units; officials did not announce new funding lines in the address.
