skip to main content
Close
Contact Us
close button
Logo Light Logo Dark Logo Sticky Logo Mobile Logo
search button
  • Who We Are

    Who We Are

    Who We Are

    Regardless of a project’s complexity or the challenge it may present, Ajax guarantees innovative solutions that will exceed your construction needs.

    Learn More >

    History

    History

    Founded in 1958 by the late J.B. “Block” Smith, Ajax Building LLC boasts over three generations of experience with Block’s grandson, John B. Smith II, serving as Vice President.

    Learn More >
    • Client Approach
    • Safety
    • Compliance
    • Awards
    • Social Responsibility
    • Sustainability
  • What We Do

    Projects

    FSU Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

    Projects

    Like other academic science buildings, a key goal was to create a facility that will support a variety of learning environments for decades to come.

    Florida State University Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences >
    view all projects >

    Sectors

    Our Focus Areas

    • Broadcast-Media
    • Commercial
    • Cultural
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Historic Restoration
    • Hospitality
    • K12 Education
    • Justice
    • Law
    • Life Sciences
    • Mission Critical
    • Non-Profit
    • Public Safety
    • Residential
    • Retail
    • Technology
    View all Sectors >

    Services

    Our services span the full lifecycle of construction—starting with site evaluations and preconstruction through to commissioning, close-out, and beyond.

    Learn more about our Services >
  • People

    Careers

    Careers

    No matter the type of project, complexity or client, one thing remains constant—people do the work. Learn more about our career opportunities.

    Learn More >

    Leadership

    Leadership

    Meet the experts who lead our people and organization.

    Learn More >

    Community

    Community

    We care about each other and are committed to making a positive impact where we live and where we work.

    Learn More >
  • Subcontractors
  • News
  • Contact
  • Find Us
  • WHO WE ARE
    • History
    • Client Approach
    • Safety
    • Compliance
    • Awards
    • Social Responsibility
    • Sustainability
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Projects
    • Sectors
      • K-12 Education
      • Broadcast-Media
      • Commercial
      • Cultural
      • Government
      • Healthcare
      • Higher Education
      • Historic Restoration
      • Hospitality
      • Law
      • Life Sciences
      • Mission Critical
      • Non-Profit
      • Residential
      • Retail
      • Justice
      • Public Safety
      • Technology
    • Services
  • PEOPLE
    • Careers
    • Leadership
    • Community
  • Subcontractors
  • News
  • Contact
  • FIND US
back Button
Ajax Building Corporation Steps Up To Transform Shuttered School Into Stable Home for 50 Teens - Ajax Building Company
8350
post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-8350,single-format-standard,vcwb,mkd-core-1.0.2,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,onyx child-child-ver-1.0.0,onyx-ver-1.4.1, vertical_menu_with_scroll,smooth_scroll,side_menu_slide_with_content,width_470,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.11.0,vc_responsive
Ajax Building Corporation Steps Up To Transform Shuttered School Into Stable Home for 50 Teens

Ajax Building Corporation Steps Up To Transform Shuttered School Into Stable Home for 50 Teens

February 8, 2017
Share
  • Small Icon
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin

Starting Right, Now Campus Gives Couch Hopping Students Place to Call Home

(St. Petersburg, FL) Feb. 8, 2017 — Starting Right, Now has dedicated Haven South, a privately funded living and learning campus in St. Petersburg for 50 high school students who otherwise would be homeless.

Ajax Building Corporation provided pro bono project management services to renovate the vacant and dilapidated old Harris TIPS school on Haines Road, transforming it into a stable setting and place for teens to call home.

“Haven South was a massive undertaking and a true community project,” said Vicki Sokolik, founder of the non-profit Starting Right, Now (SRN). “We casually asked Ajax if they’d do the project, not expecting them to say ‘yes.’”

The renovation took five months to complete, to the tune of more than $1 million in donated time and materials from Ajax and its vendor and subcontractor partners, Sokolik said.  Another $250,000 came from donations to complete the 100 percent privately funded project.

In addition to separate boys and girls dorms, bathrooms, a shared living area and full kitchen, Haven South also has a training center and computer labs so students can complete their studies.

“We are part of this community and building is what we know best,” said Bill Byrne, president of Ajax, a 60-year-old company with offices in Tampa and throughout the Southeast. “These students needed a roof over their heads and the security of having a place to come home to at the end of every school day. We were happy to make it happen.”

This is the second student home for SRN. In Hillsborough County, about 24 students live in a remodeled house on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa. The need in Pinellas is great, said Sokolik, with more than 3,000 documented homeless students in the county.

SRN is one of the only programs in Florida to offer permanent housing for “unaccompanied youth,” those who are in high school but not living with their parent or guardian. They are ineligible for foster care because they were not taken from their families but instead have left home because of circumstances beyond their control. Students in the program have made a commitment to stay in high school.

The program offers one-on-one mentoring, helps in job seeking and teaches financial literacy and life skills. It helps the students resource everything from dental and medical care to clothing and transportation. Students enrolled get wrap around services to help with housing, food, clothing, tutoring, leadership classes and medical services. Funding for each student comes from local corporations, private grants or individuals.

“Starting Right, Now is ending homelessness one child at a time,” Sokolik said. “And by kicking in to do this project, Ajax has saved 50 students each year from being homeless.”

The following Florida subcontractor/partners participated:

  • Personnel Response Team, Palm Harbor
  • Ace Contracting Enterprises, Safety Harbor
  • Tri-City Electrical Contractors, Inc., Tampa
  • APG Electric, Inc., Clearwater
  • Pelican Electrical Group, Inc., Oldsmar
  • Lang Environmental, Inc., Tampa
  • A. Green Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc., Tampa
  • BCH Mechanical, Inc., Largo
  • Tecta America West Florida, LLC, Tampa
  • B&M Masonry, Inc., Tampa
  • Royal Aire Mechanical Services, Inc., Oldsmar
  • Pinnacle Door & Hardware, Inc., Clearwater
  • West Star Interiors, Inc., Tampa
  • Peninsular Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Clearwater
  • B&I Contractors, Inc., Ft. Myers
  • Masonry Builders, Inc., Tampa
  • KHS&S Contractors, Tampa
  • Dallas 1 Construction & Development, Thonotosassa
  • Rolling Oak Supply, Inc., Lakeland
  • Raynor Company Group, Largo
  • BCI Integrated Solutions, Tampa
  • Peterson Metals, Hudson
  • Spectra Contract Flooring, Tampa
  • Acousti Engineering Company of Florida
  • Key Glass, LLC, Bradenton
  • Merit Professional Coatings, Inc., Tampa
  • Feddon Mechanical, LLC, St. Petersburg
  • Kabinets by Kinsey, Tampa
  • Universal Fire Systems, Inc., Tampa
  • SUCA (Suncoast Utility Contractors Association), Tampa
  • Ferguson, Tampa
  • ProFloors of Sarasota, LLC, Sarasota
  • Rome Insulation, Inc., St. Petersburg
  • Tappouni Mechanical Services, Inc., Tampa

A Brief History of Harris School Property

The century-old school property at 4600 Haines Road has gone full-circle in terms of early use and hands-on community involvement, Byrne said.

Mr. A. Harris in 1912 willed the site to the newly created Pinellas School Board for educational uses. Originally called The Harris School or Harris Elementary, it started as a one-room weather-boarded house with volunteer labor and donations from the community. The Pinellas School Board provided seats and desks, and the first teacher had 15 pupils.

In 1924, the current building replaced the house and enrollment rose to more than 100 students for the 1924-25 academic year. In the late 1970s the school was closed for students and re-opened as administrative offices. It was soon closed when the offices were moved.

It opened again in the early 2000s, becoming the Harris/TIPS (Teenage Information for Pregnant and Parenting Students), essentially a dropout prevention school, with educational opportunities and services for students by creating a “safe, positive and goal-oriented learning environment.” The program ended in 2011 and the school remained closed until opening as newly renovated Haven South.

About Starting Right, Now

Starting Right, Now (SRN) serves homeless, unaccompanied youths attending high school in Hillsborough and soon in Pinellas County. An unaccompanied youth is defined as, “a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian,” including youth residing with a caregiver who is not their legal guardian and youth living on their own. Because these students are living without a parent or guardian, they have no advocate and are incidentally thrown away without anyone aware of their plight. Before entering our program, these homeless youths have no other support and can envision no goals beyond simply surviving. Living in survival mode, they are forced to make dangerous and unhealthy decisions. The myriad of challenges faced by youth experiencing homelessness on their own puts these students at risk of dropping out or school failure, being incarcerated, killed or living on the street.

SRN engages a comprehensive, continuum-of-care program to end the generational cycle of homelessness and poverty. Unlike other organizations, SRN offers a long-term and comprehensive solution, combining a range of human and health services to relieve the effects of youth homelessness and associated traumas. In addition to stable housing and meeting basic needs, SRN provides consistent, one-on-one mentoring, encourages future and long-term perspectives, and teaches enduring skills for self-sufficiency. Students access a wealth of resources, attend after-school enrichment classes, and encounter positive role models, all of which equip them to manage new environments and meet novel academic and social demands. Upon completion of our program, each student earns a high school diploma, receives acceptance to their post-secondary goal, (higher education, military, or vocational training), obtains scholarships and financial aid, opens a savings account with secured funds as reported on bank statements, and demonstrates improved mental and emotional health through reduction in criminal activity and substance abuse. Meeting these objectives, these previously at-risk students have acquired necessary skills to enable them to live a self-sufficient adulthood, ceasing the cycle of poverty within their generation. www.startingrightnow.orgGo to http://www.startingrightnow.org

About Ajax Building Corporation

Nearly 60 years old, Ajax is recognized for its expertise in construction management, design-build and program management of educational, healthcare and commercial facilities, as well as other public and institutional buildings. Ajax is dedicated to building sustainable and high performance facilities — from design to construction and operation. Ajax maintains offices in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Engineering News Record magazine consistently ranks Ajax in the list of Top Contractors and Green Builders in the United States. Information is available at AjaxBuilding.comGo to http://ajaxbuilding.com.



Our Family of Companies

  • Abbott Construction
  • Ajax
  • bcci
  • Govan Brown
  • Layton Construction
  • LF Driscoll
  • LF Driscoll Healthcare
  • Pavarini North East
  • Pavarini McGovern
  • RC Andersen
  • Structure Tone
  • Structure Tone Southwest
  • Structure Tone International

Quick Links

  • Subcontractors
  • Careers
  • STOBG Insights Magazine
  • Sitemap

Contact

Business Development
Ajax@ajaxbuilding.com

Careers
hr@ajaxbuilding.com

Subcontractor Prequalification
preconstruction@ajaxbuilding.com

Accounting
billing@ajaxbuilding.com

SUBSCRIBE TO STOBG INSIGHTS MAGAZINE

     

    Ajax Building Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

    copyrights By continuing with this site you consent to the use of cookies.
    Copyright Ajax Building 2023.
    Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Cookie Policy

    Instagram
    Facebook
    LinkedIn
    YouTube
    Twitter
    Podcast
    Spotify
    We use cookies to improve the experience of our website. By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of cookies. To understand more about how we use cookies, please see our Privacy PolicyACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT