The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia officially opened up its Center for Neighbors in Need at a public event Oct. 14 in DeLand. The new space is a renovation of the building at 434 S. Woodland Blvd. where the charity’s thrift store used to be located.

The center will be the new hub for services The Neighborhood Center has long offered out of the red house just next door to its headquarters, including its food pantry and utility assistance.

“The red house was just so old. It didn’t seem like the clients had a lot of dignity because the space was so old and so small,” Neighborhood Center COO Waylan Niece told The Beacon. “We’ve created a nice lobby so people don’t have to stand outside and wait, they can come inside.”

The event opening the new center was well attended by Neighborhood Center staff, DeLand Mayor Chris Cloudman, First Presbyterian Church of DeLand Pastor Mike Bodger and other locals.

The expansion into the new space comes during a year when homelessness in the area is on the rise and more locals could use a hand up.

“Did you know that prevention services assisted over 1,000 people with food and financial assistance in the month of September alone?” Neighborhood Center CEO Savannah-Jane Griffin said. “As the need in our community grows, we wanted to provide a space that felt warm, welcoming and efficient for individuals to come and get the assistance they need.”

The Neighborhood Center’s thrift store is open at a new location, 550 S. Spring Garden Ave., as of earlier this year.