Author: Barrier Free Living

Made In NY Production Assistant Training Program

April 21, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
“Made in NY”(MINY) Production Assistant Training Program. We are currently accepting applications for the May, 2016 class.Application deadline April 25th at 1pm Sharp.  If you know of anyone who meets the above eligibility requirements, please have them attend a “Made in NY” Information Session at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Building 92 on Monday at 1pm Sharp. Info Sessions take place weekly. Last opportunities to apply for May Training: ***April 18th & April 25th @1pm*** To get to BLDG 92: Enter the… read more

Denim Day NYC Video Release Party

April 15, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities 0 Comments
Denim Day NYC held its campaign video release party and fashion show on April 13, 2016. The packed event, held at Lereve in Manhattan, included a denim day fashion show, raffle and showing of a special Denim Day video. Denim Day NYC is a coalition of community agencies, elected officials, students, and volunteers united to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault. Denim Day grew out of a case in… read more

Artist Socreates Marquez Welcomes Barrier Free Living To Artexpo NY

April 15, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Heralded Artexpo NY Artist Socrates Marquez rolled out a red carpet welcome to the residents, participants and tenants of Barrier Free Living's programs on April 14. Socrates, who did a live painting demo on the opening day of the expo weekend, gave free tickets and a warm welcome to BFL's programs for people with disabilities and disabled survivors of domestic violence. More… read more

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 10-16 Events

April 8, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Each April, the federal Office for Victims of Crime helps lead communities throughout the country in their annual observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), which will be observed April 10–16, 2016. This year’s theme -Serving Victims, Building Trust, Restoring Hope – underscores the importance of early intervention and victim services in establishing trust with victims, which in turn begins to restore their hope for healing and recovery. NYC events include: On April 10, 2016:  The Center Against Domestic Violence – designated… read more

Denim Day NYC Video Release Event

April 8, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities 0 Comments
Denim Day NYC and Outsmart BK are hosting a video release party at LeReve in NYC Wednesday April 13th from 6pm-9pm. Scott Hess, Director of Communications at Barrier Free Living, is a Denim Day NYC Board Member at large. DENIM DAY NYC AND OUTSMART BK PRESENT DENIM DAY NYC HAPPY HOUR WEDNESDAY APRIL 13, 2016 6PM-9PM LeReve 125 East 54th Street… read more

Artist Scooter LaForge Donates Auction Item To Denim Day NYC Event

April 1, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Scooter LaForge, whose much sought-after one of a kind made to order garments have been worn by stars from Madonna to Rihann and Beyonce', donated a hand painted T-shirt to Denim Day NYC on behalf of Barrier Free Living. The shirt will be part of a silent auction at a Denim Day NYC event in April. Scott Hess, BFL Director of Communications and a Denim Day NYC board member at large, names Scooter as a great supporter of the agency's… read more

Denim Day NYC “I Am Not Invisible” Campaign Video

March 31, 2016 Uncategorized 0 Comments
Rick Davy, founder and Executive Director of the BK Style Foundation, Monica Watkins, Ford Model and founder of anti-trafficking organization Beauty for Freedom have partnered with Steps to End Family Violence in creating the Denim Day NYC #IAmNotInvisible Video and Photographic Campaign raising awareness for the survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Launching April 2016, the campaign’s mission is to engage New Yorkers in the fight to end sexual and domestic violence and to raise funds and awareness for Denim Day… read more

Nyle DiMarco First Deaf ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Champ Says The Sky’s The Limit

March 31, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Nyle DiMarco has already accomplished several firsts. The model, actor and activist was not only the first Deaf contestant to appear on (and win) American's Next Top Model (Cycle 22)  he is now wowing the judges as the first Deaf contestant on Dancing with the Stars. A native New New Yorker, Nyle was born into a large multi-generational Deaf family and is an alumni of Gallaudet University, the only… read more

Freedom House Staff Participates In ASL Training

March 29, 2016 Uncategorized Tags: 0 Comments
About a dozen Freedom House team members participated in a 4-week ASL workshop this spring. Caelan Manning, a Barrier Free Living case manager, ran the workshop. The goal was to educate and inform staff about working and interacting with the Deaf community. Manning hopes that "staff will be able to use what they've learned in emergency situations, and also in general to show some kind of unity and acceptance with/of the Deaf community."… read more

Secret Garden & Freedom House Teams Outreach At Hunter College Community Fair

March 29, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: , 0 Comments
Team members from Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden and Freedom House programs participated in the Department of Women & Gender Studies at Hunter College's  Grassroots Democracy & Community Fair on March 29. The Fair introduces the Hunter community to progressive community organizations  that aim to transform the lives of people, especially women and children, by supporting, educating, activating and organizing people around crucial issues, such as the epidemic of gender based violence, the lack of living wages, the stalling… read more

Shine Foundation Kicks Off 4-Week Financial Engagement Workshop At Freedom House

March 29, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities, Uncategorized Tags: 0 Comments
Shine Foundation kicked off a new 4-week Financial Engagement workshop for residents at Barrier Free Living's  Freedom House  emergency shelter this March. The goal in the next 4 weeks, says Shine coordinators, is to "have clients set and achieve their savings goals for housing." The mission of Shine Foundation is to improve the financial health of homeless abuse survivors in NYC and Baltimore.  First session residents identified over $400 in savings. For additional… read more

Barrier Free Living Apartment Staff Attends NASW Conference

March 29, 2016 BFL News, Current Events Tags: 0 Comments
Tom Obrzut, Director of Barrier Free Living Apartments (photo, at right)  and Jonathan Berkley, Social Worker at BFL Apartments (at left), attended Social Work in the City, the 2nd Annual National Association of Social Workers Conference held March 14 in New York City. The conference enables licensed social workers to obtain 6 continuing education contact hours while sharing in a collective experience with a large gathering of colleagues, peers… read more

Freedom House Launches Robust Training Roster For Staff

March 28, 2016 Uncategorized Tags: 0 Comments
Freedom House launched a training roster through the spring of 2016 to educate and empower staff at the domestic violence program. Trainings range from  DV 101, to Child Abuse Reporting Training to a presentation on deaf history.The staff also attended a Demystifying ACS presentation this spring.… read more

Denim Day NYC

March 28, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
A Denim Day Rally and other related events are planned for New York City in April Denim Day Rally/Press Conference: April 27, 2016 11:00 a.m. City Hall Steps New York, NY 10007 Denim Day NYC is a coalition of community agencies, elected officials, students, and volunteers united to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault. Denim Day grew out of a case in which a rape conviction was overturned because the judge reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she had to have helped her… read more

Nyle DiMarco First Deaf Contestant & Champion On Dancing With The Stars

March 23, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Nyle DiMarco, an actor, model and spokesman is the first deaf contestant to appear on Dancing With The Stars and is already wowing the judges. He is a native New Yorker and was born into a large multigenerational deaf family. He is an alumnus of Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts university in the world for the deaf. He was the stand out star and winner of America's Next Top Model's Cycle… read more

Second Chance Toys & Teens With Hatch and SheKnows Media Donate Toys to BFL Apartments Kids

March 21, 2016 BFL News, Current Events, Shelter 0 Comments
Second Chance Toys & a group of teens with Hatch and SheKnows Media delivered toys to the kids of BFL Apartments this March. The teens brought pizza and cupcakes and delivered the toys to children living at the complex… read more

ReelAbilities Closing Night Sceening ‘In Harmony’ March 16

March 15, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
The 8th Annual ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival kicked off last Thursday night with opening remarks from actor Mark Ruffalo and a screening of the film Margarita, With a Straw. Closing night, which is March 16, features the NY premiere of In Harmony from director Denis Dercourt at 7 p.m.  at JCC Manhattan  334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023. The screening is followed by Q&A and closing night reception.… read more

BFL Leadership Team Engaged In Anti-Racism Workshops

March 11, 2016 BFL News 0 Comments
The Barrier Free Living Leadership Team is engaged in a curriculum of Anti-Racism workshops led by MPG Consulting in 2016. MPG Consulting presents workshops which address the impact of structural racism as well as racial/cultural/gender identity and sexual orientation on the relationship between worker and client. The trainings, workshops and supervision are organized for professionals at various stages of their careers and with varying understanding and experience working with diverse racial, cultural and ethnic groups. More about MPG.… read more

BFL’s Scott Hess Joins Denim Day NYC Executive Board As Member At Large

March 11, 2016 Uncategorized 0 Comments
Scott Hess, Director of Communications at Barrier Free Living, has joined the Denim Day NYC Executive Board as a Member-At-Large. Denim Day NYC is a coalition of community agencies, elected officials, students, and volunteers united to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault. Denim Day is April 27. For the past 17 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a… read more

Fred Alger Management Donates Easter Baskets To Young Tenants at BFL Apartments

March 11, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: 0 Comments
Fred Alger Management Inc.  donated colorful Easter baskets to the young tenants of Barrier Free Living Apartments this March. BFL Apartments, which opened in 2015, offers permanent homes to survivors of domestic violence with disabilities and their families as well as veterans with disabilities. “On behalf of Fred Alger Management, Inc. and the Alger Candlelight Giving Committee, we are proud of the work you do to ensure the… read more

Human Services Council Unveils Report On Operating Capacity Of Nonprofits

March 4, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Leaders from nonprofits and government met in lower Manhattan February 25 to assess the systemic threats to New York’s nonprofit providers, the New York Nonprofit Media reports. At the panel discussion, hosted by the Association for a Better New York, the Human Services Council, a membership organization that represents many of the most prominent social services nonprofits, unveiled a new report that used the closure of FEGS as a springboard to… read more

Gaga Performs Til It Happens To You Anthem For Survivors of Sexual Assault

February 29, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities 0 Comments
Toward the end of Lady Gaga's powerhouse performance of the Oscar nominated "Til It Happens to You"  on Sunday night a curtain parted onstage, and dozens of men and women stepped forward, all of them survivors of sexual assault. They brandished phrases on their forearms like "Survivor," "You Are Love," "Unbreakable" and "Not Your Fault." The song, co-written by Gaga and Diane Warren, is from "The Hunting Ground," a CNN Films documentary about sexual assaults on American college and university… read more

Gutless & Grateful Stirring One Woman Show March 11 NYC

February 23, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Following sold-out runs at Stage 72, The Bijou Theatre, United Solo Festival, Barrington Stage Company (Tony-Award winning William Finn’s Cabaret Series) and a nationwide tour, the incredibly talented and inspirational Amy Oestreicher will bring her hit one-woman musical Gutless & Grateful back to NYC as part of the Emerging Arts Theatre’s New Works Series on March 11th at 9pm. In this moving evening of song, performer Amy Oestreicher weaves her near death experience and unique personal story with an… read more

Edward Solis: New Accounting Team Member Staff Spotlight

February 23, 2016 BFL News 0 Comments
Edward Solis, who originates from Lima, Peru brings a wealth of business and personal experience to his new position as bookkeeper at Barrier Free Living. We had a chat with Edward about what attracted him to BFL and what he hopes to achieve at the agency. BFL: What were you doing prior to working at Barrier Free Living? Edward: I worked in a small accounting firm. I took care… read more

David Kwon: Barrier Free Living Apartments Staff Spotlight

February 9, 2016 BFL News, Our Stories, Shelter Tags: 0 Comments
David Kwon recently joined the Barrier Free Living Apartments team. Originally from Seoul, Korea, David shares with us what drew him to the agency, his goals as a social worker addressing homelessness, and his love for video games. BFL: David thanks for taking the time to chat. Can you tell me a bit about your history, what led you to work in social services? David: I was born in Seoul… read more

Dance/ NYC Pre-Symposium Feb. 27 Registration Open

February 4, 2016 Uncategorized 0 Comments
Photo Alice Sheppard . Credit: Jeffrey Lee/On the Spot Image Registration for Dance/NYC's 2016 Pre-Symposium Sessions is Now Open! When: Saturday, February 27, 2016, 10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Where: Gibney Dance Center, 280 Broadway (enter at 53 Chambers) How: Register Now. Symposium Registration is required. Pre-Symposium - FREE for Symposium attendees Full Symposium Registration - $125 Artist Rate - $50 A Pre-Symposium program, part of Dance/NYC’s initiative to increase access and inclusion to the art form, is presented in partnership with Art Beyond Sight… read more

8th Annual ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival Tickets On Sale Feb. 11

February 4, 2016 Current Events 0 Comments
Presented by JCC Manhattan, the 8th Annual ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with different abilities. The festival presents award-winning films in various locations throughout the NY metropolitan area. Discussions and other engaging programs bring the community together to explore, discuss, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience. Tickets go on sale on Feb 11! The Opening… read more

BFL Apartments Tenant Advisory Committee Holds Inaugural Meeting

January 28, 2016 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: 0 Comments
The newly formed Tenant Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on January 22, 2016 at Barrier Free Living Apartments. Ten members attended to discuss issues relating to holiday events, support groups and building environment issues. The group's elected officers thus far are: public relations,Carol Johnson; public relation assistant, Myra Ormond-Pitts; secretary/party coordinator, Soloma Drumo.… read more

Domestic Violence 101 Training Empowers Freedom House Team

January 25, 2016 BFL News, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: 0 Comments
Freedom House Emergency Domestic Violence shelter continues its ongoing commitment to increased education and awareness around Domestic Violence issues with a roster of  DV 101 Trainings this winter. "It's a rich curriculum that focuses on the basics including types of domestic violence, understanding power and control, and the psychology of a domestic violence survivor," says Cynthia Amodeo, Director of Social Services at Freedom House.  "It has been great for staff on many levels. We will be providing a DV 102 class as… read more

Freedom House Book Fair: Today’s Readers,Tomorrow’s Leaders

January 22, 2016 Current Events, Shelter Tags: 0 Comments
Freedom House Emergency Domestic Violence shelter hosted a book fair for young residents in January, trumpeting the call that "Today's Readers will be Tomorrow's Leaders." The fair, which drew shelter residents aged 4 to 12, was made possible due to an In-Kind donation of dozens of  books, workbooks and other literature.  Children shared ideas and perused books, discussing the merits of reading. The event was led by the… read more

Helping People with Disabilities Help Themselves