New Visions Blog

Jericho Road will hold its 9th annual Breaking the Bonds of Domestic Violence walk on October 1. Registration and information is available here. Jericho Road Inc. is a 501(c) 3 community based organization that is the vision of Dr. Elena Bascom, a survivor of domestic violence (DV). Due to her experiences as a child and as a victim of domestic violence, Dr. Bascom began outreach work to help… read more

HSU held its 20th Anniversary gala and leadership awards on June 8. Honorees addressing the enthusiastic crowd were: Sean Delany, on behalf of Lawyers Alliance for New York; Christine C. Quinn, CEO of Win & former New York City Council Speaker and CEO; and Christy Parque. President of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies & former Executive Director of Homeless Services United, Inc. Parque, who was given the Legacy Award… read more

The BFL Apartments team served up a sizzling BBQ for tenants of the complex kicking off the summer season on June 1. Tenants of the family and singles building mingled on the parking lot turned picnic grounds and enjoyed traditional summer fare. The child care team offered face painting, hopscotch and hoola hoop activity for the kids.… read more

BFL Apartments kicked off its tenant Garden Club this memorial day weekend. Working with the occupational therapy team and Director of Communications Scott Hess, the tenant's garden club began their summer meetings on the roof, planting a variety of blooms. The club plans to plant vegetables and additional flowers, as well as having a summer luncheon for its members.… read more

Georgette Delinois, Director of Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden domestic violence program has retired. "After nearly 14 years of service at Barrier Free Living (BFL) as the director of the Non-Residential Domestic Violence Program, AKA Secret Garden, I am happily retiring to be with my family." says Delinois. "I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude to BFL for the opportunity to work at Secret Garden, to … read more

Barrier Free Living's Occupational Therapy team launched a beading stress management group at the agency's domestic violence programs this May. The group explores "the functions and value of beading as a stress management coping mechanism, to foster creativity, improve communication skills, practice/enhance/develop fine motor-visual perceptual-and cognitive skills, and build a sense of community." There are three bracelet patterns that range from easier to more difficult in order to accommodate each person’s individual skill… read more

The 8th Annual Handprints of the Heart sponsored by Goldman Sachs took place this month at Freedom House. The event is a celebration of Mother’s Day and includes activities and a lunch with the families at the shelter. The volunteers worked with young shelter residents to create ceramic handprints, t-shirts and jewelry that kids presented to their parents after lunch.… read more

Más de 60 residentes, participantes e inquilinos de los programas de violencia doméstica para personas con discapacidades de Barrier Free Living asistieron a un alegre evento por Spread The Sparkle el 8 de mayo para el Día de la Madre. Celebrada en Home Studios en la ciudad de Nueva York, las madres, los niños y las familias de los programas de BFL fueron tratados a un día de mimos y… read more

Over 60 residents, participants and tenants of Barrier Free Living's domestic violence programs for people with disabilities attended a joyous May 8 Spread The Sparkle Mother's Day event. Held at Home Studios in New York City, mothers, children and families of BFL programs were treated to a day of pampering and appreciation. A buffet lunch was served, the children participated in a talent show, and a special "remember this day"… read more

Barrier Free Living (BFL) Apartments welcomed participants of the  National Housing Conference's (NHC) Solutions for Housing Communications conference Mobile Workshop on April 28. Paul Feuerstein, BFL President/CEO welcomed the group along with Thomas Obrzut, BFL Apartments Director and Lenore Warren, Director of Social Services. Mega Construction was also on hand. The group took a tour of a resident apartment and had a Q&A with the BFL Apartments' team. NHC's Solutions for Housing Communications 2016 Convening connects affordable housing developers, advocates, funders… read more

Shine Foundation held a Spring Soirée / financial fair at Freedom House on April 25 to culminate its month long Financial Engagement workshop for residents at the emergency domestic violence shelter. In addition to celebrating and reaffirming goals set during the 4 week workshop, Shine set up an "Aida's Dare to Dream" booth, and asked residents, staff and volunteers to write down what they "dared to dream" … read more

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

Nicolyn Plummer, Social Worker at Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden Domestic Violence Program, was one of three Deaf/Hard of Hearing advocates who testified on communication access for the Deaf/Hard of hearing at the council committee on technology and public safety on 1/14/2016 in New York City. Plummer says part of the mission is "making text to 911 accessible for everyone." View testimony video here.… read more

In the thought provoking article, Why Barrier Free Living,  Christofer Pierson, Director of Member Communications at Independent Care Systems offers insights into Barrier Free Living's long, successful history working with people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. Read the article here.… read more

Barrier Free Living honored the life of Theresa McIntosh (pictured here) at a special event that drew friends and supporters on January 12, 2016. Read about Theresa here. At the event, poet and tenant of Barrier Free Living apartments Felicia Ridges performed her moving poem, Knock Knock. View a performance of Knock Knock here.… read more

El día en que Olga encontró un resguardo seguro para ella y sus tres hijos en el refugio de Violencia Doméstica Freedom House de Barrier Free Living, es un momento que ella siempre apreciará. Ese momento, sin embargo, fue sólo el comienzo de una camino que tomaría varios giros en los próximos años. "Mi abusador me golpeó muy mal en la calle. La policía vino y lo llevó a la… read more

The day Olga found safe haven at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter for herself and her three children is a moment she will forever cherish. That moment, however, was only the beginning of a journey that would take several twists over the next several years. "My abuser beat me up very bad on the street. The police came and took him to jail. That was in 2012,"… read more

  Barrier Free Living Apartments, which opened summer of 2015, held its first tenant holiday event this December. Families who attended made holiday cards and other crafts before food was served. A volunteer singer performed. The room was decorated by the Tenants Association and the event was made possible in part due to a generous GoFundMe campaign coordinated by a… read more

Mrs. New York Alison Trenk made a surprise call to Freedom House Emergency Shelter on the day of the holiday party, offering to supply the domestic violence shelter with bags of toys for the children residing there. Yenely Gomez, Director of Child Care/Recreation at Freedom House, was thrilled to receive the call and even more excited after they arranged for Alison to personally deliver the toys. Alison even allowed several of the kids to wear her crown. The event, which… read more

Spread The Sparkle hosted a spectacular holiday event for all of Barrier Free Living's programs this December 25 at a beautiful loft space in Manhattan. Barrier Free Living works with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities (men, women and children) as well as formerly and currently homeless people with disabilities. Led by Spread the Sparkle founder Abbey LeVine and over 30 volunteers, the afternoon featured singing, a face painter, a… read more

To fight both domestic violence and poverty and homelessness, HRA has partnered with nine community-based organizations to provide a wide variety of services to help survivors rebuild their lives. The organizations involved are Barrier Free Living, HELP USA, New York Asian Women’s Center, Sanctuary for Families, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Urban Justice Center, Seamen’s Society, Edwin Gould Services, and the Violence Intervention Program. In addition to standard services like safety planning and counseling, all nine of these organizations… read more

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Theresa A. H. McIntosh, founder of the Barrier Free Living (BFL) Speakers Bureau and a BFL Freedom House trustee. Theresa was a survivor of domestic violence who was also an above-the-knee amputee. Theresa was born, raised and educated in England. Following a car accident in 1992, Theresa became a resident at Barrier Free Living’s Transitional Housing Program… read more

SUPPORT #GIVING TUESDAY Support Barrier Free Living this year. We work with over 140 kids like Danielle, age 13, who did our holiday card art at left. Danielle is a resident at our Freedom House domestic violence shelter. We also work with current and formerly homeless men and women with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. DONATE NOW… read more