Social service agencies dot St. Anthony's land

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Resurrection House soon breaks ground on its $2.7-million apartment and administration building, it will become part of a small network of social service agencies occupying land owned by St. Anthony's Hospital.

In 1995, St. Anthony's board of directors approved an ambitious plan to lease land near its medical center -- some vacant and some with buildings needing renovation- for $1 a year to local not-for-profit organizations wanting to expand their services.

The land was available because St. Anthony's, which had acquired the land over the years for hospital expansion, had decided to focus on expanded outpatient services in other parts of the community.

"Growth wasn't going to happen with in-patient care," said Ford Kyes, vice president of materials management for Baycare, a new oversight entity created when St. Anthony's and several other local hospitals merged with Bayfront Medical Center in 1997. "And one of the concerns was all this empty land around us."

By 1997, the list of prospective tenants included Abilities, Alpha House, Center Against Spouse Abuse, Catholic Charities and Head Start.

Today, some of the programs are thriving, some have been modified and some were unable to go forward, replaced by other agencies.

Here is an update on the groups and their projects (see map, above):

1) Head Start: The day care center for children opened in 1997.

2 and 3) CASA: The Center Against Spouse Abuse operates a seven-unit transitional housing facility (2); a second seven-unit building (3) is nearing completion.

4) Boley Centers for Behavioral Health Care: Originally earmarked as housing for HIV patients and their families by Catholic Charities, the eight-unit apartment building will be renovated by Boley for low-income families and individuals who have graduated from Boley programs.

5) Undesignated: An eight-unit apartment building originally was to be developed by Alpha House as transitional housing for pregnant women or those with young children.

6) Resurrection House: When Abilities decided not to develop six empty lots for housing for clients with permanent handicaps such as spinal cord or head injuries, Resurrection House picked up the lease and purchased a seventh adjacent lot and plans to build up to 20 transitional apartments for homeless families, plus administrative offices (see accompanying story).

7) Alpha House: The agency developed a smaller building with two two-bedroom apartments as transitional housing for pregnant women or those with young children.

Kyes said St. Anthony's has no plans to acquire more land in its neighborhood.

"We have scattered properties here and there, smaller and more remote that haven't been of interest," he said. "If someone were interested, we'd be open."

The low-cost leases are for 20 years with options to extend them.

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