Doors of Hope Open

By Jorge Casuso

Monday, May 24 --It was buried for fear of controversy, passed quickly and built slowly, but on Friday morning the Rick Weiss New Hope Apartments for those suffering with the AIDS virus finally opened its doors.

The $4.7 million, 25-unit low income apartment building on a bluff behind the Santa Monica Pier was heralded during opening ceremonies as a beacon of hope for those battling a deadly disease that can quickly decimate their bodies as well as their savings.

"This facility epitomizes the hope of our community that we will show up for each other," California Assembly member Sheila James Kuehl told a crowd of more than 100. "You must continue to keep hope in your heart."

The courtyard building -- which took six years to plan, finance and build -- boasts a sweeping view of the Pacific. It is named for Rick Weiss, a Santa Monica resident who died of AIDS five years ago.

Weiss was recalled during the ceremonies as a loving partner who left daily inspirational messages on the bathroom mirror and a caring friend to took in homeless animals and comforted the sick of heart.

"We scattered Rick's remains in the water a few days ago," said his longtime partner Earl Greenberg, who helped raise money for the building. "How happy he is knowing he is making life easier for those without resources."

"He was a gentle quirky man who cared about animals and the elderly," said Rabbi David Brown of Temple Shalom of the Arts. "So many lives will be changed and enriched. We hope this will be a home filled with hope and values."

The Rick Weiss Apartment building is the seventh built by the Los Angeles-based Project New Hope, which provides affordable homes for more than 112 individuals and families. The Project also assists more than 400 people a year with computer training and employment services.

The Santa Monica project received nearly 200 applications before it opened its doors. To qualify tenants cannot earn more than $17,900 a year. They pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent.

The project, which received little initial fanfare for fear of controversy, was quickly approved by the City Council in 1994. Some council members objected that the scenic oceanfront site was best left vacant. They argued that the noise from the pier would rattle the tenants nerves and that the summer traffic snarls would make it difficult for emergency vehicles to reach the building.