New Visions Blog

The Occupational Therapy team at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter held a healthy living workshop this August. Participants took a trip to the local farmer's market, learned healthy living tips and shared seasonal recipes.… read more

Foxy Management and Barrier Free Living held a ribbon cutting event unveiling the new mural in the kid's playground at BFL Apartments in the Bronx. The mural, created with the support of 501 See Streets and the talents of famed graffiti artists Crash and Bio, added color and joy to the playground. The outdoor space is connected to the supportive housing complex's child care area. BFL Apartments offers… read more

https://vimeo.com/228406593… read more

Alexis Perez, a famed ping pong champ, is teaching the kids at BFL Apartments the art of the game. Perez has been meeting with the kids at the supportive housing complex in the Bronx three times a week since June. “The children have not missed a day of lessons and have been able to develop their own style of playing ping pong,” says Julie Pena, director at BFL Apartments. The kids received sports… read more

Workshop leader David Drake, with BFL Apartments Program Director Julie Pena BFL Apartments kicked off its summer theatre camp workshop this July, led by teacher, actor and Obie Winning playwright, David Drake. The program will include theatre games, technique and the creation of original material by the kids. Plans are underway to stage a finale show at the nearby 138th Street Community Garden, which has an outdoor stage.… read more

   Barrier Free Living apartments is working with the 138th Street Community Garden to present its kids theatre camp finale show on the garden stage this August. The show, the culmination of a 10-week theatre camp for kids living at the complex, will be put on by theatre professional David Drake.  BFL apartments offers  permanent housing for survivors of domestic violence and their families… read more

Students from the Bronx Academy of Letters stopped by Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing shelter this June to donate health products to the residents. The students met with program director LeShan Gaulman (in photo above), to learn about the program which offers shelter to formerly homeless men  and women with disabilities. The students also plan to donate similar products to Barrier Free Living apartments, a complex for survivors of domestic violence… read more

The staff at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing program prepared a special meal in honor of Father's Day this weekend. The program offers shelter, case management and occupational therapy to formerly homeless men and women with disabilities.… read more

Tenants and staff gathered to celebrate the start of summer with a community building BBQ at BFL apartments in the Bronx. Staff worked the grill (social worker Sam Finan pictured above) and tenants from the single and family building enjoyed the meal and mingling. The complex has apartments for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities (including 91 kids) as well as veterans with disabilities.… read more

This profile is by Liam Chan Hodges, a summer intern in BFL’s Communication Department. His writing has appeared in Study Breaks and elsewhere. He is currently pursuing a government major at Franklin and Marshall college and will graduate in 2019. David Drake is a man of many talents. He has gained success as a playwright, a stage director, an actor and an author. His most acclaimed piece The… read more

  Homeless Services United held its 2017 Gala and honored Commissioner Loree Sutton of the New York City Department of Veterans Services, David Walsh of JP Morgan Chase Community Development Banking and, Bobby Watts CEO of the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council. Barrier Free Living team members attended including Paul Feuerstein, BFL President/CEO. The theme… read more

  Volunteers from Moody's served fruit smoothies, made de-stress balls and talked up the benefits of healthy living at Barrier Free Living's (BFL) Wellness Fair this June. The FPWA connected the company to BFL, and Moody's sponsored the fair with a charitable donation. The Moody's volunteers joined the agency's Occupational Therapy team which coordinated the event, along with LeShan Gaulman, shelter director. Activities included chair yoga, booths with… read more

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival  runs June 9th-18th at the IFC Theater and Lincoln Center in New York City, shining a light on the importance of disability rights. From the rights of a young Palestinian boy confined to an Israeli hospital, to a group of adults with Down syndrome in Chile being denied the freedoms most of us take for granted - the Human Rights Watch Film… read more

A mural created by John "Crash" Matos and Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano  in the kid's playground area of the Barrier Free Living (BFL) Apartments was featured on Pix11 News. View the video below or view full the story at PIX-11's website » Problems watching the video? Click here.… read more

Reprinted from Metro New York, May 23, 2017 by Nikki M. Mascali The intoxicating scent of spray paint wafted through the air as an ordinary-looking wall in the Bronx quickly went from a blank slate to a colorful work of art designed for — and by — the very kids who will benefit the most from it. “The idea of doing something with… read more

Work began this May on a dynamic mural decorating the children's playground area of BFL Apartments in the Bronx. Noah Sheroff, Founder of 501 See Streets an organization which brings artists and communities together, worked with renowned visual artist John Crash Matos to develop the mural. They spoke to tenants and children living at the complex to create the design which includes vibrant imagery of flowers,  a boom box, and floating… read more

Barrier Free Living Apartments celebrated Mother's Day with a 'Glitter On' luncheon celebration this May. Tenants of the supportive housing program enjoyed lunch, music and gift bags were handed out. The BFL Occupational Therapy team worked with tenants and members of the tenant advisory committee to decorate and plan the community building event.… read more

BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein is profiled in the New York Law School Center for Real Estate Studies' The Rooftop Projects newsletter this May. Read the article. … read more

Antonio Luis Rosa loves to share beauty wherever he can. Antonio, an artist with two decades as a beauty professional, heard about BFL's Freedom House domestic violence shelter this year, and decided he wanted to get involved with the program as a volunteer. He connected with program director Myra Ricard and they are exploring ways to bring his expertise, and sense of joy, to the residents. "We are developing a beautiful partnership… read more

City Limits reports: As New York City’s fiscal 2018 budget takes shape, voices from the city’s human-services sector have begun to cry out for help with a looming funding crisis that could leave many non-profit organizations scrambling to finance the services that serve needy New Yorkers. There are 200,000 people in New York who work in the human services industry in the city, dealing with everything from elder care to youth employment and from domestic violence to housing needs. But cuts in… read more

Sara Eldridge, a social worker at BFL's Freedom House domestic violence shelter was on hand at the St. John's Next Steps Fair in April. The Next Steps Fair is a tabling event where organizations in the community provide information on the resources they offer the community. St. John’s also held "Turn off the Violence Week" in April promoting “awareness, empowerment, and action in response to sexual violence in our community.” Events include:  the Clothes… read more

Now that she’s living in a safe home of her own, BFL Apartments’ resident Shanika can focus on her most important life goal: strengthening her relationship with her 14-year-old daughter. A survivor of domestic violence, Shanika was living at a shelter in Brooklyn, working with her case manager to reclaim her life and find a permanent home back in 2014. In addition to healing from years of abuse and trauma, she was learning… read more

Barrier Free Living (BFL) has been awarded $ 1,523,304 to serve survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. BFL was one of 10 organizations receiving funds as part of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., investment of $11.8 million to enable victims of crime from underserved communities to access the services they need. "Thirty-one years ago, I was introduced to the issue of domestic violence in the… read more

The Deaf Justice Coalition announced the launch of a pilot program by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) aimed at improving access to law enforcement services for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). “Being able to contact the police if they’re in trouble is something that most people take for granted,” said Deaf Justice Coalition member and Barrier Free Living Secret Garden team member Nicolyn Plummer, who… read more

The newly launched Give One organization worked with the tenant's Garden Club at BFL Apartments this April to spruce up the 6th floor roof. The volunteers and the tenants cleaned the roof, planted seeds and flowers and set up the area for spring.… read more

Team members from NYU Dental did a dynamic presentation on the importance of dental health and oral hygiene for the residents of Freedom House domestic violence shelter this month. BFL's Nurse Brenda was on hand to welcome the NYU team. Over a dozen adults and kids attended and received dental health give away bags.… read more

The team at BFL Apartments held an Easter egg hunt and threw a party for the children living at the supportive housing facility this month. Kids enjoyed lunch, games and a thrilling Easter egg hunt. Every child also received an Easter basket chock full of goodies, these donated by Shannon O'Connor a regular supporter of BFL. Shannon also donated easter baskets to the agencies Secret Garden and Freedom House programs.… read more

Team members from Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter will be at the International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Systems Change in April. Cynthia Amodeo and Aida Colon of Freedom House will present "Barriers to Seeking Safety." Freedom House team member Myra Ricard will be attending. (Top photo: Colon, Amodeo and Ricard, left to right). The conference's focus is on sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, human trafficking… read more

Denim Day Activists received a shout out in an article in the Hollywood Times. The article, which was about Bust Magazine's Primped Craftacular event,  notes: “Not every booth was selling goods, either. Two young activists were passing out pamphlets for Denim Day, an annual rally during sexual assault awareness month. In New York City, thousands will gather on April 26th clad in denim jeans. The jeans represent an Italian… read more

Excerpt from the NYC News Service Project, Nowhere to Go By Christine Brink For the first time in a long time, Cherita Barbuto, who suffers from bipolar disorder, counts herself among the lucky ones. For years, she was homeless, bouncing between jail, shelters and the streets. Now she’s living in a modest Bronx apartment (*Barrier Free Living Apartments), part of a city, state, federal and privately financed program called supportive housing, designed to help get… read more