DAYTONA BEACH — It seems like a given that people staying in a homeless shelter would be a little depressed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

But one of the residents at Daytona Beach's First Step Shelter is too busy counting her blessings to dwell on how different the holiday will be from her happy childhood Christmases.

"This will probably be one of my best Christmases," said Phyllis Bean, who has been staying at the shelter five miles west of Interstate 95 for about two months.

Bean said she was kicked out of the room she was renting in Daytona Beach one night back in October, and she had nowhere to go. She had nothing more than the clothes she was wearing and her purse, and her landlord never let her back inside to retrieve all of the things she left behind.

She said she was paying her rent on time, but he wanted to triple the $500 monthly charge in violation of what they had agreed on. She's 64 years old and survives off of a Social Security Disability Income check, and she said there's no way she could afford the $1,500 he was demanding.

She called police the night she was evicted, and they drove her to First Step Shelter.

A happy ending for a homeless Daytona woman:First Step Shelter helps Volusia women find peace, home

Catch up on past homeless shelter coverage:Daytona homeless shelter parting with operator

Read more:Daytona law scares off panhandlers

Now she's just grateful to have a clean, safe place to stay while she regains her balance and finds an affordable apartment.

The shelter, which typically has 45-50 residents, has helped 96 people get into housing of their own over the past year.

"I'm so happy here. You have no idea," Bean said. "The people who work here are all wonderful."

She's also excited about things planned at the shelter for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

"We're supposed to have a bunch of surprises coming," Bean said Thursday afternoon.

Residents and staff decorated the shelter, and there's a 15-foot-tall Christmas tree in the large multi-purpose room where residents relax, socialize, watch television and eat.

On Christmas Eve, there will be a movie night with snacks. Around noon on Christmas Day, residents will be treated to a hearty holiday meal with turkey, ham, stuffing, vegetables and bread.

On Christmas Day they'll also play bingo, hold raffles and have fun with other things planned by the shelter's activity coordinator. 

Bean said residents were asked to fill out cards listing gifts they would like to receive that would cost less than $10. She asked for undergarments.

To avoid spreading COVID-19, residents will not be able to have family or friends come inside the one-story shelter building, said First Step Shelter Executive Director Victoria Fahlberg. But they can visit with guests outside the building as long as they keep a six-foot distance, Fahlberg said.

"We test everyone (for COVID) every two weeks," Fahlberg said. "Many of our residents have very compromised immune systems, so we aren’t letting many people into the shelter right now who don’t live here or work here."

No one requested to leave the shelter for the holiday, she said.

On New Year's Eve, residents will gather to watch the giant crystal ball drop in Times Square and indulge in some snacks. The lights out curfew Dec. 31 will be extended until 12:30 a.m., Fahlberg said.  

Some of the shelter's case managers will work on the two holiday weekends to do their usual jobs and add a little Christmas and New Year's Eve fun. 

In the shelter's "Safe Zone," a fenced outdoor area where homeless people not enrolled in the First Step program can stay overnight or for one day, it will be business as usual over the holidays, Fahlberg said.

Although shelter staff members are trying to keep things cheerful over the holidays, some residents have been sad.

"Most of them have a hard time during the holidays, but for some it is more difficult than others, often related to losses during the holidays in the past," Falhberg said.

Bean is a native of Germany, and she didn't move to the United States until she was 24 years old. Her father and grandparents were living in Alabama and Georgia when she left Europe, but they have since died and she said she has no family members anywhere near her.

"Christmas has been a little sad for me because my family's not here," she said. "I remember when I was a child we would celebrate Christmas for three days. We would celebrate Christmas Eve at home, and the next two days we traveled to relatives' houses."

But those melancholy moments are outweighed by her gratefulness to be surrounded by shelter staff members who she said are "awesome," and for the opportunity to get into a stable living situation.

"I love it here," Bean said.

All in all, 2021 has been a good year at First Step Shelter, Fahlberg said.

“We work with a challenging population here at First Step, and I’m so proud of those residents who graduate from our program and move into housing," she said. "Everyone here has a story and many have lived through some extreme challenges in their life. I feel particularly blessed this holiday season to be part of such an important organization that is making such meaningful change in the lives of individual people as well as our community.” 

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com