New Visions Blog

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

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

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

Catch Theater Breaking Through Barriers The Other Plays before it closes, March 26. Featured playwrights include Neil LaBute, Bekah Brunstetter, Lameece Isaaq, Dennis A. Allen II,Tatiana Rivera and others, writing about what it’s like to be “other” in our society. Theater Breaking Through Barriers, is the only Off-Broadway theater, and one of the few professional theaters in the country, dedicated to advancing actors and writers with disabilities and changing the image of people with… read more

Team members from Barrier Free Living's domestic violence programs were present at the Hunter College Community and Social Justice Fair on March 16, 2017. The Fair introduces the Hunter College community to a number of non-profit organizations "that work for the rights of women, girls, youth, workers, immigrants and LGBTQ communities." The Fair enables non-profit organizations to do outreach on campus; inform students about internships and volunteer work; disseminate information about programs and services; and encourage students to become more socially engaged… read more

LeShan Gaulman, program director at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing program has contributed a chapter to the newly published book  Fatherhood in America: Social work perspectives on a changing society. Gaulman, who also teaches Introduction to Social Work at Lehman College, wrote a chapter entitled Homeless Fathers.… read more

Two team members from Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter will present at the End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) conference in Orlando in April. Cynthia Amodeo and Aida Colon will present "Barriers to Seeking Safety" discussing barriers people with disabilities face when coming into shelter and what the Freedom House team is doing to overcome those barriers. The EVAWI International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Systems Change is April 18 - 20, 2017 in Orlando, FL.… read more

  The Occupational Therapy team at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing program for people with disabilities organized an event to celebrate life and love this February. Residents of the shelter gathered in the main dining hall to mingle with staff, decorate cupcakes and enjoy classic disco.… read more

    Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter held a Celebration of Love event in February for residents. The event included special activities for both adults and kids and included gift bags, baking and music.… read more

Join the Human Services Council (HSC) for the New York City kickoff of the Restore Opportunity Now Campaign on February 2, 2017, at Ivan Shapiro House, 459 West 46th Street at 1:00 pm. The Restore Opportunity Now Campaign is a statewide effort to call for crucial investments and systemic changes in New York's nonprofit human services sector, which provides essential services to combat poverty and inequality across New York State. The campaign… read more

The Pajama Program donated over 50 pairs of pajamas to the kids living at Barrier Free Living's domestic violence programs this winter. The Pajama Program sets a goal for "every child to feel the love and comfort that lets them escape into peaceful sleep, and to awaken empowered with the energy and resilience that can change every one of their days for the better. We accomplish this with the rather… read more

El Programa de Pijamas (The Pajama Program) donó más de 50 pares de pijamas a los niños que viven en los programas de violencia doméstica de Barrier Free Living este invierno. El Programa de Pijamas establece un objetivo de "permitir a cada niño sentir el amor y la comodidad que le permite escaparse en un sueño pacífico, y despertar con el poder de la energía y la resistencia que… read more

Barrier Free Living Apartments elected the 2017 Tenant Advisory Board this January. "We want to bring our community together as a whole. Making our environment where we live a better place for all us moving forward. Somewhere we can feel safe and happy to come home to," said Gevenia Hernandez, the newly elected President (photo above). "I would like us to do more plays with the kids, more outings as a community and… read more

Barrier Free Living Apartments eligió la Junta Asesora de Inquilinos del 2017 este mes de enero. "Queremos reunir a nuestra comunidad en su conjunto. Haciendo nuestro ambiente donde vivimos un lugar mejor para todos nosotros de ahora en adelante. En algún lugar donde nos sentimos seguros y felices al volver a casa", dijo Gevenia Hernández, la Presidente recién electa  (foto arriba). "Me gustaría que hiciéramos más obras de teatro con los niños… read more