New Visions Blog

Photos from the Journey to Freedom Gala 2025

Photo: Commissioner Christina Curry (center) of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) at BFL's Freedom Village with Cynthia (at right).  Barrier Free Living CEO Cynthia Amodeo shares the agency's year in review.  As we close out 2025, Barrier Free Living reflects with pride on a year of extraordinary growth and resilience. Against a backdrop of rising housing costs and increased demand for services, our teams responded with innovation, compassion, and unwavering dedication… read more

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NEW YORK – The Joyful Heart Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2025 recipients of its annual Heal the Healers grants. The Heal the Healers (HTH) Fund supports professionals working directly with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse who face a heightened risk of secondary trauma. As funding cuts and uncertainties strain organizations nationwide, these workers are increasingly being asked to do more with less–and these funds are one way to provide critical… read more

Barrier Free Living is proud to honor Lynn Benoit, CPA, with this year’s Jack Fritts Award. Lynn joined Barrier Free Living in late 2024 as a volunteer to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of our finance team. In just a short time, she has had an extraordinary impact—introducing the RAMP system to improve workflows, providing deeper insight into spending, and building additional structure and accountability into our financial operations… read more

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We caught up with BFL's new Director of Finance, Arelis Rojas (photo above).  "For me, finance isn’t just about budgets and spreadsheets. It’s about building a strong foundation that supports people’s dignity, healing, and hope. That connection between the numbers and the mission is what keeps me going." - Arelis What drew you to apply to Barrier Free Living? I was drawn to Barrier Free Living because of its mission to support survivors of domestic violence… read more

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Barrier Free Living CEO Cynthia Amodeo recently met with a group from Australia, which included Belinda Mason - Director of Blur Projects, in partnership with the Women’s Electoral Lobby, UNSEEN. The group took a tour of BFL's newest vision Freedom Village.… read more

Barrier Free Living's Occupational Therapy team holds a variety of events and workshops throughout the year, from healthy cooking classes to soap making and a wellness spa. The team shares the focus and purpose of groups this past year: "Our OT Meal Prep 'N Go group is designed to educate our community on useful tips and ideas for healthy and cost-effective food choices that are easy and quick to make at home. In this… read more

Darlene, who was the 2024 the Barrier Free Living Jack Fritts Mission Impact Award honoree, has created another bold, inspiring mural at BFL's Freedom House domestic violence shelter (a portion of the wall mural above). During the past year, this dynamic volunteer has contributed three murals to Freedom House as well as a mural at BFL's Secret Garden program. BFL Team member visited the mural this March.… read more

BFL CEO Cynthia Amodeo, at left in photo above with Alicia Eggert Barrier Free Living (BFL) team members attended the "At a Time Like This" art opening this month at Urban Glass for Alicia Eggert. Alicia, who unveiled renderings of the concept of a neon piece for BFL's Freedom Village (2025) at the agency's recent Journey to Freedom event, spoke of her vision and process during… read more

Insperity hosted a Valentine themed volunteer event this past February at its NYC Midtown office, creating flower bouquets, heartfelt cards, and gifts for children and parents at Barrier Free Living (BFL). Members from Insperity offices across NYC, NJ and Westchester joined the event. BFL's Linette Holmes was the special guest. Insperity shares: This was a volunteer event sponsored by Insperity’s New York based team, through Insperity’s Corporate Citizenship. Insperity promotes a very intentional… read more

Progress continues at Barrier Free Living's newest vision, Freedom Village. The newly constructed Freedom Village will include 75 affordable and supportive apartments for homeless adults in need of services and seniors transitioning out of nursing homes. The topping off event was held in November.… read more

From Top, Before & After photos.  Since its early days in the 1980s working with people with disabilities, Barrier Free Living has been committed to the power of healing through community. Whether it’s a tenant-led garden club at BFL’s supportive housing program in the Bronx, a Denim Day mural project at BFL’s Secret Garden program or an occupational therapy cooking class at the newly… read more