F.A.I.T.H.'s Victories
Substance Abuse Treatment in County Jail
Through the persistent efforts of F.A.I.T.H., a substance abuse treatment program was started in the Volusia County Jail in May of 2001. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the program was terminated; however, at the 2009 Action Assembly, F.A.I.T.H. won commitments from the Volusia County Council to reinstate a new, improved program. In 2019 alone, this program saved Volusia County taxpayers $2 million by providing a pathway for those suffering from addiction to leave jail after successfully completing treatment. The program has a low recidivism rate of just 14%, meaning that the vast majority do not reoffend!
Night Bus Service
In 2002 F.A.I.T.H. was successful in securing a commitment from the county to run the bus service until midnight, which enabled many to work in the service industries. This service began in January, 2003 and VOTRAN reports that the ridership is up nearly 400 riders per night.
Ban the Box
In 2015 F.A.I.T..H. won commitments from Mayor Derrick Henry to draft an ordinance to remove the question that asks about criminal history from the applications for city jobs and from jobs of private contractors or vendors that contract with the city. The ordinance was passed, and the policy went into effect July 1, 2015.
First Step Shelter
After a grueling 8 year campaign, in 2017 F.A.I.T.H. secured over $8 million in funding for a homeless assistance center called the First Step Shelter. First Step Shelter currently has about 50 residents in the shelter. In 2020, First Step Shelter treated 135 people with substance abuse or mental health problems, got 75 people health insurance, helped 66 people get into permanent housing, and helped 109 people get connected to SSI/unemployment.
NARCAN
In 2017, F.A.I.T.H.’s Mental Health & Addiction committee won commitments from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department and the Daytona Beach Police Department to begin arming their officers with the lifesaving NARCAN nasal spray, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Since F.A.I.T.H. won those commitments, both law enforcement agencies have fulfilled their commitments. As a direct result, 71 lives in our county were
saved in 2018 alone!
Civil Citations
F.A.I.T.H. has worked since 2012 to reduce the number of children caught up in the criminal justice system for non-serious misdemeanors. Because of our research, people power, and persistence, over 2,000 fewer children have been arrested in Volusia County since 2011. As of May 2021, the Volusia County Sheriff’s department is now using civil citations 100% of the time with the exception of domestic cases! So is the city of Daytona Beach! This is a big victory for the entire community.
Through the persistent efforts of F.A.I.T.H., a substance abuse treatment program was started in the Volusia County Jail in May of 2001. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the program was terminated; however, at the 2009 Action Assembly, F.A.I.T.H. won commitments from the Volusia County Council to reinstate a new, improved program. In 2019 alone, this program saved Volusia County taxpayers $2 million by providing a pathway for those suffering from addiction to leave jail after successfully completing treatment. The program has a low recidivism rate of just 14%, meaning that the vast majority do not reoffend!
Night Bus Service
In 2002 F.A.I.T.H. was successful in securing a commitment from the county to run the bus service until midnight, which enabled many to work in the service industries. This service began in January, 2003 and VOTRAN reports that the ridership is up nearly 400 riders per night.
Ban the Box
In 2015 F.A.I.T..H. won commitments from Mayor Derrick Henry to draft an ordinance to remove the question that asks about criminal history from the applications for city jobs and from jobs of private contractors or vendors that contract with the city. The ordinance was passed, and the policy went into effect July 1, 2015.
First Step Shelter
After a grueling 8 year campaign, in 2017 F.A.I.T.H. secured over $8 million in funding for a homeless assistance center called the First Step Shelter. First Step Shelter currently has about 50 residents in the shelter. In 2020, First Step Shelter treated 135 people with substance abuse or mental health problems, got 75 people health insurance, helped 66 people get into permanent housing, and helped 109 people get connected to SSI/unemployment.
NARCAN
In 2017, F.A.I.T.H.’s Mental Health & Addiction committee won commitments from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department and the Daytona Beach Police Department to begin arming their officers with the lifesaving NARCAN nasal spray, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Since F.A.I.T.H. won those commitments, both law enforcement agencies have fulfilled their commitments. As a direct result, 71 lives in our county were
saved in 2018 alone!
Civil Citations
F.A.I.T.H. has worked since 2012 to reduce the number of children caught up in the criminal justice system for non-serious misdemeanors. Because of our research, people power, and persistence, over 2,000 fewer children have been arrested in Volusia County since 2011. As of May 2021, the Volusia County Sheriff’s department is now using civil citations 100% of the time with the exception of domestic cases! So is the city of Daytona Beach! This is a big victory for the entire community.
