When Denise Resnik talks about home, she isn't referring only to a physical address. She's talking about belonging, independence, and the right to a joyful, purposeful adult life, regardless of your neurotype. As founder and president/CEO of First Place AZ, co-founder of Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), longtime PR agency owner, and above all, Matthew's mom, Resnik has spent more than three decades reshaping the way communities think about adults with autism and/or other intellectual/developmental disabilities.
A proud native Phoenician, Resnik grew up in the Valley and later graduated from Arizona State University, landing her first job at Del E. Webb Corporation. She and her husband, Rob, have been married for 42 years and are parents to two children and grandparents to two little ones. But it was their son Matt’s autism diagnosis at age 2 in 1993 that shifted the route of her life's work.
"When we were told to institutionalize our son, we committed ourselves to finding a better way," Resnik says. "We couldn't change historically poor outcomes for adults with autism and/or other intellectual/developmental disabilities from within the system, so we started with the end in mind, asking others to dream with us and create a new reality."
In 1997, she co-founded SARRC, establishing one of the country's most respected autism research and outreach organizations. As SARRC evolved, one truth became increasingly apparent to Resnik: Housing and community development for adults with autism required its own dedicated entity with a different risk tolerance. So, in 2012, she created First Place AZ.
First Place–Phoenix is the organization's flagship property, opening its doors in 2018 after years of fundraising and planning. PBS NewsHour, which documented the journey, named Phoenix "the most autism-friendly city in the world." Today, the 81,000-square-foot midtown community is home to more than 50 adults with autism, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. It offers support services, structured community life, employment, and health and wellness programs, all within a vibrant urban neighborhood filled with shopping, dining, and transit options.
“Progress demands dedication from each one of us, including problem solvers, trusted collaborators, people with lived experience, and the remarkable philanthropists and humanitarians who provide us with an opportunity to succeed,” affirms Resnik.
But First Place AZ is far more than a property, it’s a catalyst for a national movement. Through the First Place Global Leadership Institute, the organization serves as a research and development engine, think tank, and training hub that develops best practices for housing, employment, and healthcare for adults with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Improving quality of life has long been Resnik's passion, but healthcare is perhaps the sector with the biggest challenges for adults with autism. With an estimated 100,000 adults with autism and/or other intellectual/developmental disabilities in Arizona alone, most still don't have informed, preventive medical care. First Place AZ has partnered with Creighton University, ASU, University of Arizona and others to address this. “We seek to be a trusted resource that brings together healthcare leaders, researchers, policymakers, and those with lived experience to advance a model of adult developmental medicine,” she says.
One significant development is MED 459, Minding the Gap, an elective for fourth-year medical students at Creighton University that provides hands-on training in the care of autism and developmental disabilities. Another project underway is the Adult Developmental Medical Clinic Collective (ADMCC), a forward-looking model with the aim of developing a coordinated system of adult care. It is something parallel to developmental pediatrics but doesn't exist yet for adults.
The impact on Arizona families has been profound. More than 250 unique individuals have called First Place–Phoenix or one of the nonprofit’s two multi-generational properties home since doors opened. Also, more than 100 young adults have participated in the First Place Transition Academy, a two-year program teaching independent living and career-readiness skills in collaboration with SARRC. Long-term studies show its graduates are five and a half times more likely to live independently.
And the momentum keeps building. “Communities like First Place–Phoenix are sprouting up across the country, using the know-how, principles, and templates we’ve developed,” Resnik notes. “We’re challenging communities and their philanthropic, industry, and policy leaders to reimagine how to respond to this growing and chronically underserved market segment.”
So how can others get involved? Resnik says by seeing it firsthand. “Join us for a property tour, webinar, or annual symposium,” she invites. “Learn about our work through First Place Global and opportunities to be involved in our education, employment, and outreach initiatives.”
She also encourages community members, particularly those in real estate and development, to use the language of inclusion. “Do not use the ‘f’ word unless it refers to a ‘first’ or ‘forever’ place. We are not building ‘facilities.’ We are creating homes and inclusive communities.”
Most of all, she said, people need to understand that building a more inclusive Arizona takes a village. "When the right thing to do becomes the expected, easy, and most rewarding, a true marketplace of options will be the reality, and that requires all of us."
From a mother's determination to a nationwide movement, Resnik's work continues to redefine what adulthood can be for people with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities. But as she looks to what is ahead, her vision is resolute: "Each of us has a role to play."
When the right thing to do becomes the expected, easy, and most rewarding, a true marketplace of options will be the reality, and that requires all of us."
“We seek to be a trusted resource that brings together healthcare leaders, researchers, policymakers, and those with lived experience to advance a model of adult developmental medicine.”