A Home For Always
With the help of a few cherished friends, DAP Health formally unveils its second on-campus affordable housing complex, Palm Springs’ Vista Sunrise II.
Words by Daniel Vaillancourt / Photos by Albert Angelo
On the radiant and warm desert morning of Tuesday, October 22, 2024, more than 100 like-minded community members gathered for a significant milestone: the official ribbon-cutting ceremony of Vista Sunrise II, the second onsite affordable housing complex on DAP Health’s Sunrise campus. (In case you’re wondering, the first — Vista Sunrise — was completed in 2007 to house people living with HIV/AIDS.)
Under a clear blue sky, DAP Health employees, donors, and board members; Vista Sunrise II residents; members of the local TV, print, and online media; and sundry elected officials celebrated alongside representatives from the two organizations with which DAP Health closely partnered in bringing this much-needed resource to life: Desert Care Network (which advanced $2.5 million toward the endeavor) and developer the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition. The moving event signified the culmination of years of planning, collaboration, and dedication to supporting some of the Coachella Valley’s most vulnerable.
Remembering Annette Bloch
It must be said that one incredible individual who was unfortunately absent — the late, great DAP Health benefactor Annette Bloch — was on many people’s mind that day.
Bloch, who died of complications from cancer in 2021, had already given millions to DAP Health when, in 2016, she donated $3 million more toward the nonprofit’s purchase of the former Riverside County Health Building that lies adjacent to the Barbara Keller LOVE Building on campus. Renamed the Annette Bloch CARE Building, it now houses multiple clinics and lies between the LOVE Building and Vista Sunrise II.
In 2022, Bloch’s daughter Linda Lyon, who serves as executive director of the Richard and Annette Bloch Family Foundation, pledged $1 million to DAP Health’s Vision Forward Campaign and the campus’ affordable housing expansion.
Housing is Health Care
Vista Sunrise II — fully occupied, with residents having begun to move in last June — is more than just a housing complex. It represents hope and opportunity for its inhabitants. With 30 units dedicated to rapid rehousing for individuals experiencing homelessness, and another 30 reserved for those with chronic illnesses and/or low incomes, the project provides much-needed stability. A property manager lives on site in the 61st unit, and a case manager maintains an office on the first floor.
Best of all, access to primary and behavioral health care — as well as to social services such as food and transportation assistance — are mere steps away on DAP Health’s Sunrise campus at the intersection of Vista Chino and North Sunrise Way.
A Stage Meant For Sharing
The event kicked off at 9:30 a.m. with a warm welcome from DAP Health CEO David Brinkman. He set the tone for the ceremony, highlighting the importance of housing as a fundamental aspect of health care, and expressing gratitude to all those involved in making Vista Sunrise II a reality. “Each time we get to provide someone with a set of keys to their new home we provide economic stability,” he said. “Access to affordable housing is one of the most cost-effective strategies for reducing poverty.”
Giving credit to architect Maria Song and her team at Interactive Design Corporation for the elegant and elevated complex designed in the international style with a slight art deco influence, Brinkman highlighted special features of Vista Sunrise II, such as its open courtyard, rooftop viewing deck, and various corridor balconies.
All 61 units, powered by solar panels, are also GreenPoint Rated. Each features Energy Star Rated appliances, including heat and air conditioners, and blinds. To top it all off, residents have access to the 1,600-square-foot David Gluckstein Celebration Kitchen, named after major donor Hardy Bassington’s late husband. Doubling as a community room, it’s equipped with a demonstration kitchen where residents can participate in the preparation of healthy food, or gather for games and other social activities.
Speaking on behalf of Desert Care Network and Tenet Healthcare, Chief Strategy Officer Linda Evans said, “[We] are so proud to contribute $2.5 million to the Vista Sunrise II project. That’s because we know how important a stable home can be when a patient of ours must recover from an accident or illness. We see the impact of homelessness every day in the trauma centers at our three hospitals — Desert Regional in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial in Indio, and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree.
“We are the first stop in providing lifesaving care when someone faces a trauma. But we also know that we cannot save lives alone. So much of the care we need as individuals happens outside the walls of our hospitals. Health care happens in places like Vista Sunrise II, which provides the security and comfort of a home and a host of wraparound health care services to help people recover and stay healthy. All of this is right here [at DAP Health].”
One Resident’s Story
One of the morning’s most poignant moments came when Sean Johnson, one of the first residents to move into Vista Sunrise II, took the stage. He spoke from the heart, his words resonating deeply with the audience.
“Every time I walk through the door of my beautiful studio apartment, furnished by [DAP Health’s own chain of resale stores] Revivals, I’m overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude,” he said, confiding he’s a bisexual man living with HIV who was once intermittently unhoused, both before and after becoming a patient and client at DAP Health. “To say that taking care of myself and living my best life without the comfort of a stable roof over my head was a challenge is an understatement… . I’m here as living proof that housing is health care, for which I will always be eternally grateful.”
To wrap up the proceedings, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition Executive Director and CEO Pedro S.G. Rodriguez followed with remarks about the significance of affordable housing in addressing both homelessness and chronic illness in the region.
By 10:00 a.m., the ceremony reached its peak with the actual cutting of the ribbon as Brinkman, Evans, Bassington, and Rodriguez jointly held the giant scissors.
As guests stayed behind to chat or tour the kitchen and grounds, the sense of accomplishment and optimism was palpable. The special event was not just a consecration of a new building but a celebration of one community’s commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has access to safe housing and the best possible life they deserve.
Housing is health care, indeed.