New Visions Blog

Residents in BFL’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter are often uncertain about their legal rights. Victims of domestic violence can find the legal system confusing and scary. Our team can advocate for shelter residents, ensuring that all their needs are being met while protecting everyone’s rights involved. Following is a story where our advocacy was crucial in a very difficult case. Survivor’s Story Jean is the mother of two children, Robin (4 years old) and Alexis (2 years old). Jean came… read more

For persons involved in abusive relationships, many steps must be taken to ensure their security. Developing a safety plan for residents at both Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter for People with Disabilities, and our Secret Garden domestic violence counseling program, is an essential component of this process. Traditionally persons received a handout of safety guidelines upon receiving services at a domestic violence agency. The safety guidelines include information for de-escalating potential incidents of violence… read more

Domestic violence victims often face the highest level of danger when they take action to leave an abusive relationship. Carolyn Block’s “How can practitioners help an abused woman lower her risk of death?”* indicates that for 45% of women who were murdered by an abuser, the precipitating factor was her attempt to leave that abuser. Deciding to leave an abusive relationship is a difficult choice and can bring up new and serious risks. At times, it can be in the best… read more

Studies reveal that 80 to 90% of children who live in violent homes are keenly aware of the violence. ("Effects of Domestic Violence on Children," Mediation Quarterly)* The fact is, children often come to programs like Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter and understand more than we may think. The key is finding and developing safe ways for the children to speak about, and heal after experiencing the violence. Children’s exposure to violence can occur in various ways. Some… read more

Five Key Areas of Safety: A special follow up to An Innovative New Method for Measuring Safety.  The team responds to insights from the initial article on An Innovative New Method for Measuring Safety. The response to the last article was tremendous—ranging from a request for training from The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence, to an invitation to present at the Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Coalition meeting. What we heard repeatedly from readers and colleagues is that: domestic violence safety planning… read more

In this article, Freedom House team members explore methods for measuring safety. Individuals and families fleeing domestic violence can find safety and support at BFL’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter—but their life-long journey to living a ‘safe’ life free of abuse only begins there. A key component of the overall healing experience at Freedom House involves comprehensive safety planning. Whether it’s developing a preparedness plan (always know where vital identification information and important phone numbers are); or building an inner knowledge… read more

Blog contributor Sara Eldridge, LMSW,  is a Senior Social Worker at Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House domestic violence shelter. Sara is a licensed social worker who received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2015.  Sara has been a social worker at Freedom House since 2015, where she provides individual and group counseling to adults, children and adolescents. Prior to Freedom House she worked with… read more

Our blog contributor, Aida Colon, MSW, is a Social Worker at Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter. She graduated from Lehman College with her Master of Social Work. Prior to Freedom House she worked with cancer patients and families with children at risk of foster placement. Kindness is a language which the Deaf can hear and the Blind can see. Mark Twain For many culturally competent advocates and service providers being kind is not… read more

As an Emergency Shelter for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities, safety planning is a critical part of the mission of Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House. Safety planning can range from learning about internet related safety for a resident of the shelter, committing to living in a confidential domestic violence location, or following an existing safety protocol so that staff and residents alike remain safe and supported. During Hurricane Sandy, the Freedom House staff was prepared to go above and… read more

Barrier Free Living features a domestic violence related safety feature on our website. A purple “escape” button is located in the top right hand corner of every page of the site. The button conceals the fact that an individual is on a website offering services to domestic violence survivors. According to the team at our domestic violence counseling program, Secret Garden, the most dangerous time for a domestic violence survivor is when that individual attempts to leave the abusive relationship. The… read more

Traumatic Brain Injury and DV Freedom House looks at Traumatic Brain Injury as it relates to Domestic Violence. According to the Center for Disease Control a Traumatic Brain Injury is “a bump, blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain.” It is important as professionals working in the field of domestic violence (DV) that we understand Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as it relates to our work with survivors. Many domestic violence victims who… read more

According to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. There is another type of… read more

July is National Purposeful Parenting month, which led to a flurry of articles, Facebook posts and Twitter bites regarding the concept. In general, Purposeful Parenting aims to build healthy relationships with children, to understand a child’s development and to help them grow in a way that emphasizes their potential. Being “purposeful” in parenting can include meeting a child’s essential needs (bathing, feeding) or involve more complicated issues of socialization, discipline, and communication. Purposeful Parenting concepts include: Structure and order Responsibility and… read more

Barrier Free Living welcomes Blog contributor Julia Alberino. Julia retired in 2011 after more than thirty years as a health care administrator in both the public and private sectors. She was a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and co-founder of an advocacy group that worked to maintain and improve services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including elderly and disabled individuals. I’ve always been a cat person. When I moved into my lower Manhattan apartment… read more

Sara Eldridge, LMSW, a Senior Social Worker at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter offers her insights on Freedom House's work with male domestic violence survivors. Sara is a licensed social worker who received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2015.  Sara has been a social worker at Freedom House since 2015, where she provides individual and group counseling to adults… read more

Holidays can traditionally be a time of family gatherings and celebrations. For individuals and families at Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter who have left an abusive situation, maintaining safety during the holiday season is crucial. As an agency, Barrier Free Living provides counseling, case management, shelter and housing to people with disabilities, including survivors of domestic violence and homeless individuals. Freedom House is our emergency domestic violence… read more

The Church of the Holy Trinity is gathering toys and gifts for the kids at Barrier Free Living's (BFL) Freedom House emergency shelter in New York City again this year. The church has a sign up display (photo above, with the Rev. John Beddingfield) and is accepting donations this month. At its programs and shelters, BFL works with families and hundreds of children each year. Donations of toys and gifts from groups… read more

Barrier Free Living's Freedom House team held a bake-off as a community building way to honor October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Staff members from various departments donated a freshly baked pastry, which was judged by co-workers. There were seven "delicious" entries, but the Sweet Potato Pie baked by Ashlee from Occupational Therapy took top honors.… read more

The front desk staff of Barrier Free Living's  Freedom House program hosted its second annual Go Pink Day on Friday October 20. Resident Aide Manager Linette Holmes shares that "This is the second year Freedom House is remembering all those that are survivors of Breast Cancer and those that have lost the fight." Freedom House staff wore pink to commemorate this special cause and a GO PINK TABLE was the focal point of the celebration… read more

Barrier Free Living team members Cynthia Amodeo (Chief Program Officer) and Sara Eldridge (social worker, Freedom House, pictured) will present "Exploring the Intersection of Domestic Violence, Disability and Trauma" at the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma 22nd International Summit in San Diego, CA September 21-27, 2017. This year's summit is titled "Building Peace by Linking Policy, Practice, Research & Advocacy to End Violence." The Institute on Violence, Abuse and… read more

As the mother of a child with autism, Linette Holmes was drawn to the passionate mission of Barrier Free Living. She joined the Freedom House team as a per diem Resident Aide, then soon after became a Resident Aide manager. We caught up with Linette to chat about her journey at BFL, what she brings to the management team, and her goal to learn to surf. BFL: What first drew you to work at Barrier… read more

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

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

Un joven residente en el refugio de violencia doméstica Freedom House, de Barrier Free Living, compartió un poema de esperanza y sanación para comenzar el nuevo año. La "Chica Silenciosa" es parte de una familia que experimentó violencia doméstica y abuso antes de encontrar refugio seguro en Freedom House en 2016. La familia recibió terapia y servicios de apoyo y espera mudarse a un hogar permanente en 2017.… 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

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

This March, Barrier Free Living’s (BFL) Freedom House domestic violence program created an American Sign Language (ASL) video as a way to share information with arriving Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents. The film, to be used internally by Freedom House, is supported by the Office on Violence Against Women Disabilities Grant Program. Barrier Free Living's Director of Communications Scott Hess shot the film, working with consultant and long time collaborator Blake Drummond of Diagonal Media.… 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