Fueling a new generation of housing and community options for people with autism and other neurodiversities is an experiment—a big one.While we all want successful outcomes, the variables are vast, resources limited, models scarce and … More
(October 2019 Series, Blog #1)
Highways are designed and built with much thought, engineering and investment. Rules of the road help us get where we’re going easily, quickly and safely. For drivers and passengers alike, onramps … More
https://youtu.be/UVOvyK8EEm0(2019 Summer Series, Blog #6) This time of year, Matt is often asked where he goes to school. It’s understandable, considering his youthful appearance and mannerisms, as well as his small stature at 5'3" and … More
Our 2019 summer blog series chronicles the journey of our son Matt’s transition to life at First Place–Phoenix, thanks in large part to Rob—Matt’s tech-savvy dad, “father of fun” and my husband of 35 years—our … More
The beautiful plans for First Place–Phoenix were approved in the summer of 2016 with complete sets of drawings and the oh-so-critical financing and permits in place. Final bids from subcontractors during the robust real estate … More
After exploring and evaluating dozens of opportunities, First Place® AZ made serious offers for the acquisition of two parcels of land prior to the purchase of the 1.4 acres where First Place–Phoenix stands today. All … More
One of the biggest and most consistent challenges over the years has been the process of creating a property for everyone, taking into consideration individual levels of need, resources and dozens of other variables. We … More
I drafted the first strategic plan on housing in 1999—just two years after co-founding the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC)—but our first published research didn’t follow until a decade later through a study … More
We’re thrilled to welcome 30 new residents to First Place–Phoenix since our opening last month and plan to welcome many others in the weeks and months ahead. Needless to say, it’s been a time of … More
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains
Community building is a process. It requires vision, passion, grit, resilience and an ability to connect dots—lots of them. It also requires sound strategies and fundamentals, … More