Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery Donates Valentine’s Day Cookies To BFL Shelter

February 19, 2015 BFL News Tags: 0 Comments
Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery continues its weekly donations to the Barrier Free Living (BFL) Transitional Housing shelter delivering Valentine's Day cookies to residents. The BFL program feeds 48 formerly homeless residents with disabilities daily. The kitchen staff welcomes the donations which range from desserts to Honey Oat or Whole Grain Sunflower breads… read more

Thomas Obrzut Named Program Director Of BFL New Supportive Housing

February 17, 2015 BFL News 0 Comments
Thomas Obrzut has joined the BFL Team as Program Director for the agency's new Supportive Housing project. "We are beginning to screen potential residents who have submitted the necessary 2010E documents, which is the first step for application," says Obrzut. "We are really happy to be opening this new program and filling our building with residents that need our services." The new Director of Social Services joins the team March 2, 2015. For more… read more

Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery Donates Bread To Transitional Housing Shelter

February 11, 2015 BFL News, Shelter Tags: 0 Comments
Tu-Lu's Glutten Free Bakery is donating bread weekly to the Barrier Free Living Transitional Housing shelter. The program feeds 48 formerly homeless residents with disabilities daily. The kitchen staff welcomed the donation of breads ranging from Honey Oat to Whole Grain Sunflower expressing gratitude for the generosity to the program and its residents.… read more

ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival announces its 2015 line-up

February 4, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
The official line-up of The 7th Annual ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival was announced today, marking the largest edition of the festival to date in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Presented by JCC Manhattan, the 2015 festival will launch in New York City at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and will take place in over 35 venues across New York from March 12-18, featuring U.S. and New York premieres of acclaimed… read more

Miscrosoft Super Bowl Ad Empowering

February 2, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
http://youtu.be/wLXRt-qRBfU One of Microsoft’s 2015 Super Bowl spots focused on Empowering people with a disability. Microsoft’s description on YouTube shares, “Born missing the tibia and fibula bones in both of his legs, six year old Braylon O’Neill is now thriving and playing sports with the help of Microsoft technology.”… read more

Summer Fun & More Fair For Kids With Disabilities

January 29, 2015 Uncategorized 0 Comments
For NYC children & Youth with disabilities and their families. Summer Fun & More has expanded to offer a face-to-face opportunity to explore an incredible range of year-round programs, afterschool supports, arts, travel, sports, and health resources. Exciting newcomers to the fair include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Brooklyn Robot Foundry, NY Transit Museum, NYC Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Easter Seals, Sparkidz, Reel Abilities, the 92nd Street… read more

NAP0-NY Takes On Freedom House Pantry Project

January 23, 2015 Current Events Tags: 0 Comments
NAPO-NY choose Freedom House emergency shelter for its Go Month Project, tackling the overflowing donation clothes pantry area. Check out the amazing Before and After pictures. NAPO-NY is a chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, founded in 1985, the only non-profit national association of and for organizers, with over 4,500 members worldwide.… read more

Power Thru The Clutter Takes On Freedom House For Go Month Project

January 23, 2015 BFL News, Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: 0 Comments
Power Thru The Clutter choose Freedom House emergency shelter for its Go Month Project, tackling the overflowing donation clothes pantry area. Check out the amazing Before and After pictures. Power Thru The Clutter, LLC was established by Lydia Thomas as a result of helping friends and family through the years as they moved, downsized, reorganized or just cleaned out.… read more

Mayor Launches IDNYC Program Aimed at Integrating Homeless, Disconnected Young Adults

January 15, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
Mayor Bill de Blasio launched IDNYC -- the municipal ID program aimed at better integrating the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including undocumented immigrants, homeless individuals, and disconnected young adults into communities. A comprehensive list of enrollment centers may be found here: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/idnyc/card/locations.page. More information, including the full list of documents required to apply, is available at www.nyc.gov/idnyc. Attached is a set of FAQs about the IDNYC program.  Please find additional information below. Available to all. The IDNYC card will be accessible to all… read more

Helping People With Disabilities Get The Healthcare Coverage They Need

January 14, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
The American Association on Health and Disability is pleased to announce that it is hosting a webinar which will feature a representative from the White House Office of Public Engagement on healthcare coverage outreach and enrollment for people with disabilities. The presentation will serve as a re-introduction to the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) and help you think about what questions a person with a disability needs to think about when they are considering their health care options in… read more

Arethusa Speaks Performance About Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence

January 14, 2015 Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities 0 Comments
Arethusa Speaks, a theatre company with a social justice mission focusing on survivors of intimate partner violence, makes their New York City debut with their solo performance piece They Call Me Arethusa, after critically acclaimed runs in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC and the FringeArts Festival in Philadelphia, PA. This spokenwordstyle docudrama exposes the devastation laid by intimate partner violence through the voices of modern… read more

Charity Basketball Celebrity Game At Baruch Jan. 24

January 12, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
H2O Basketball presents Ballin' 4 Peace Charity  Basketball Celebrity Game,  at Baruch  College  on Saturday,  January  24,  2015.   The  goal of this event is to raise awareness to the senseless acts of violence and examine approaches to make our community  safer. Ballin' 4 Peace will close off a weeklong series of events at New York Peace Week, in honor of Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr's legacy of non-violence,  from  January    15    –    22nd. Learn more.… read more

Athletes Gear Up For 2016 Rio Paralympic Games

January 8, 2015 Current Events 0 Comments
Although the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games are not until next year, the race to qualify well and truly started in 2014 with places in 10 Paralympic sports up for grabs. In total 271 Paralympic places have been filled and come 2016 there will be 4,350 Paralympic athletes competing for medals in South America’s first Paralympic Games. Read more.… read more

Peace Of Heart Choir Brings Music & Joy To Freedom House Shelter

December 30, 2014 BFL News, Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities, Shelter Tags: 0 Comments
The Peace Of Heart Choir performed for the families residing at BFL's Freedom House domestic violence shelter this past holiday season, raising their voices in joyful song. Read the Peace Of Heart Choir story here.… read more

Clinton-Based Salon Raises $1,000 For Domestic Violence Agency

December 29, 2014 Advocacy, Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities 0 Comments
The  Hunterdon County Democrat reports: Mirror Images Salon in Clinton opened its doors on Sunday, Dec. 7, for a Cuts for Compassion event to benefit The Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Crisis Center (DASACC) of Warren County, based in Washington. Read the story.… read more

Homeless Shelter Protests: How It Feels On the Other Side Of the Door

December 18, 2014 BFL News, Current Events 0 Comments
An article in The Brooklyn Ink featured BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein: Not all shelter openings are protested. Barrier Free Living, a homeless shelter for mentally ill homeless people in the Lower East Side opened in 1990 and renovated an old, burnt-down building. In essence, the shelter helped the neighborhood look better while helping the homeless, said Paul Feuerstein, the shelter’s CEO. “There was a certain level of sympathy in terms of what we are doing. We so far have been in… read more

Donated Toys Bring Cheer & Hope To BFL Children

December 17, 2014 BFL News, Current Events Tags: , 0 Comments
Toys donated to Barrier Free Living during the holiday season bring joy and hope to the children at programs like the Secret Garden (pictured here with toys from the FPWA) and Freedom House Emergency Shelter… read more

Powerful Contenders Emerge As Para-Athletics Season Heats Up

December 15, 2014 Advocacy, BFL News, Current Events 0 Comments
IPC Athletics Reports: Although the para-athletics season does not get underway fully until February’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, UAE, here are 10 athletes who could make a name for themselves in 2015. Felix Streng (Germany) In 2014 Streng won the 200m T44 European title and won silver in the 100m. He set multiple personal bests over 100m and finished in the top six of the… read more

Support Pours In For LinkNYC

December 10, 2014 Advocacy, BFL News, Current Events Tags: 0 Comments
LinkNYC, a proposal to leverage old payphone infrastructure to build the world’s largest, fastest free municipal Wi-Fi network was announced by Mayor de Blasio last month. LinkNYC would dramatically increase broadband speeds in neighborhoods across all five boroughs, provide free domestic calling at all times, and generate millions of dollars annually to reinvest into additional programs aimed at bridging the digital divide for New Yorkers who need it most. Positive feedback on the LinkNYC proposal has poured in from leaders of… read more

Purge4Peace Donates Toys and Holiday Items To Freedom House Shelter

December 9, 2014 BFL News, Current Events Tags: 0 Comments
Purge4Peace, a family fair collection drive organized by Heather Borstein and held at the Barrow Street School this December, donated toys, piggy banks and holiday items to the children and families at Freedom House Emergency Shelter this holiday season. "It is through the generosity of groups like Purge4Peace that we can brighten the holiday season for the residents and children at our shelters," said Scott Hess, Organizational Development Manager at Barrier Free Living. Learn more about Purge4Peace. Donate to BFL… read more

BFL Breaking Barriers Newsletter Dare To Dream Issue

December 4, 2014 BFL News, Current Events 0 Comments
For Barrier Free Living this past year has been all about dreams. We have encouraged the dreams of residents at our shelters, ignited dream projects like our new Supportive Housing Program, and applauded dreamers who support our cause, like the reigning Miss America Kira Kazantsev. Read more in our Breaking Barriers Newsletter, here.… read more

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 4, 2014 Advocacy, Current Events 0 Comments
The National Council on Disability supports the 2014 United Nations (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on December 3. According to the UN, the official theme of this year's commemoration is “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.” In 2011, NCD published "The Power of Digital Inclusion: Technology's Impact on Employment and Opportunities for People with Disabilities.” Much of what we detailed then is, arguably, even more true now – if people are provided access and the opportunity, technology can… read more

HSC Leadership Awards Ceremony Heralds New Era

December 3, 2014 Current Events 0 Comments
Human Services Council Executive Director Allison Sesso called for strong advocacy and vision for the Human Services sector at this year's Leadership Awards ceremony on December 2. Speaking to a packed crowd on the 35th floor of Mutual of America's Park Avenue building, Sesso invigorated the crowd and applauded honorees. Honored were: Jason Lilien of Zuckerman Spaeder, Partner & Chair of Nonprofit Organizations Practice; Jose Davila of Hispanic Federation; Michelle Yanche of… read more

BFL Debuts New Mission Film

December 1, 2014 BFL News 0 Comments
BFL debuted its new mission film for 2015, working with filmmaker Blake Drummond. The film reflects the agency's best practice of reviewing the mission, vision and values every two years, and updating it based on the input of staff, consumers, shelter residents, leadership and the Board of Directors. View the film here.… read more

Alex Minsky GQ Spread Continues to Inspire People With Disabilities

November 20, 2014 Current Events 0 Comments
Alex Minsky, featured in the GQ Magazine spread: Active Duty: Alex Minsky Shows You How to Dress for the Gym, continues to inspire people with disabilties world wide. BFL spoke to Minsky last year, about his journey after he lost his leg when his truck rolled over an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan. GQ Writes: Say good-bye to your mesh lacrosse shorts and take your Greek Week shirt to Goodwill. Now fashion designers are making clothes you can work out in (this… read more

BFL’s Paul Feuerstein City Limits Op Ed: Gov. Needs to Restore Money for Domestic Violence Victims

November 17, 2014 BFL News, Current Events, Domestic Violence and Disabilities Tags: , 0 Comments
From City Limits Gov. Needs to Restore Money for Domestic Violence Victims By: PAUL FEUERSTEIN A recent New York City Council report found that incidents of domestic violence in public housing operated by NYCHA had doubled since 2009. And yet at the same time, our elected officials are cutting funding to groups that help domestic violence victims access legal services, receive counseling and find safe transitional housing. When Governor Cuomo and state Budget Director Robert Megna… read more

BFL Talks to Noah Galloway Men’s Health Magazine Cover Model & Inspiration

November 17, 2014 BFL News, Current Events 0 Comments
Noah Galloway, the Iraq war vet and amputee who beat out 1200 competitors to be Men’s Health magazine’s cover model for November, 2014 is an inspiration to people with disabilities nationwide. We got a chance to talk to Noah about the cover, how he got through challenging times after his accident, and his secrets for a great gym routine. BFL: Your story is a great inspiration to the people we work with… read more

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