Homeless helpers interested in Starke

After the school closes, faith group would like to move in

By Jennifer Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted May 1, 2008 - 2:54:53pm

Now that the decision is final to close seven small Volusia County public schools, the community is turning its attention to what might become of those buildings.

Interfaith Caregivers, a DeLand-based coalition of faith groups devoted to serving the poor, has its eye on Edith I. Starke Elementary School in Southwest DeLand.

Interfaith Caregivers’ first choice was Boston Avenue School in Northeast DeLand, which has been used in recent years as a school for students with disabilities.

Barbara Parslow of Interfaith Caregivers said the Boston Avenue campus would have been ideal for a homeless shelter.

“We put in a letter of interest for Boston Avenue,” Parslow said. “It would have been ideal because it is completely handicap-accessible.”

However, charter schools get first pick at abandoned public-school buildings, and a charter school has expressed interest in the historic property at 340 N. Boston Ave., which first opened as a school in 1927.

At a workshop in April for the DeLand City Commission and the Volusia County School Board, School Board attorney Richard Kizma explained there are three options for abandoned school buildings: They can be sold, traded, or given to another governmental agency.

But Kizma said, by state law, all options are trumped if a charter school wants to use the building.

Volusia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Margaret Smith said Boston Avenue has already generated “numerous inquiries about charter schools.”

That news dashed the dreams of those who hoped it could become a home for the homeless.

“I was so upset I cried in my car,” Parslow said.

She said other West Volusia schools that are closing, such as Seville or Samsula, aren’t good options for shelters because they aren’t centrally located. Starke, however, at 730 S. Parsons Ave., could be a good location, because it has a community built around it.

Parslow said a homeless shelter doesn’t necessarily mean residential facilities.

“Some people just need a shower and a haircut so they can go out and look for work,” she said. “We’re not going to say they can live there.”

Seventeen local churches have partnered to minister to the homeless through Interfaith Caregivers. The organization’s best-known activity may be Interfaith Kitchen, which serves meals to between 60 and 120 low-income and homeless people five nights a week in the basement of First United Methodist Church in Downtown DeLand.

Parslow said, right now, the organization’s ministries are spread out.

“Everyone has to pay rent,” Parslow said.

Having a place to use as a base would help the churches minimize expenses, and the savings would translate into more money to help people who need it.

Parslow also wants to deliver services to homeless children, and a central, safe place could make that possible.

“There are a whole lot of homeless kids in the school system,” she said. “We hoped the School Board would donate a site to us.”

With Boston Avenue out of the picture, all eyes turn to Starke.

“I would take Starke,” Parslow said.

Parslow planned to draft a letter of interest for the Starke facility, which is due to close in two years. She said DeLand is the right location.

“There is a lot of need here,” she said.

Although the School Board voted, finally, on March 31, to close Starke and six other schools, some residents are still protesting that decision. The School Board determined consolidating into larger schools will save money.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

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