New Visions Blog

A Fair Shake For Youth has launched a 4-week pet therapy program for the children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter. There are over 50 children living at the shelter.  Pet therapy is used as a tool to build esteem and foster confidence in the youths, many who are recovering from trauma. "The children residing at Freedom House have left behind their familiar environment and loved… read more

The Berkeley Carroll School held a Halloween costume drive October 26, collecting trick or treat outfits to donate to the children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter. Heather Borstein, who helped organize the drive says "We love the work that BFL does. It's our privilege to help others enjoy Halloween as much as we do." The costumes will… read more

Inspired by "A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World" Julie Pasqual and some friends created "The Giving Group" and set out to turn their compassionate energy outward. Their generosity found a home at BFL's Freedom House this summer, where the group created a "Holiday in July" party for the domestic violence shelter's families. Pasqual has been donating her time doing yoga classes at Freedom… read more

Inspirados por el libro, "A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World", Julie Pasqual y algunos amigos crearon "The Giving Group" y se dispusieron a desviar su energía compasiva hacia afuera. Su generosidad encontró un hogar en Freedom House de BFL este verano, donde el grupo creó un "Un Día de Fiesta en Julio" para las familias del refugio de  violencia doméstica. Pasqual ha estado donando su tiempo impartiendo clases de yoga en Freedom House durante… read more

Former BFL Occupational Therapy Intern Leatal Cohen and her husband Eleor gave back this month, donating supplies for the Freedom House shelter's Spa Day events.… read more

The 7th 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

New York City first lady Chirlane McCray visited Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence program today, speaking with residents of the shelter and touring the facility. Freedom House is nationally recognized as the first fully accessible emergency shelter for disabled victims of domestic violence and their families. Paul Feuerstein, President/CEO of Barrier Free Living and Myra Ricard, Freedom House program director guided the tour which included a visit to the… read more

Families from BFL's Secret Garden and Freedom House domestic violence programs were the honored guests at an Easter event featuring a sumptuous luncheon, an Easter egg decorating station and a whole lot of sparkle. Spread The Sparkle, an organization whose mission is to "create events focused on celebrating family for individuals and kids who have no prior traditions",  treated 8 BFL families to a day of joy. The luncheon, prepared by Valerie and… read more

Spread the Sparkle will host a special Easter event for residents and participants at Barrier Free Livings' Freedom House and Secret Garden Domestic Violence programs. The event, for singles and families, will include a sumptuous meal prepared by special chefs and a performance by an opera singer. Spread the Sparkle Founder Abbey LeVine shares her story on how this new organization got started: After decades of unsuccessfully looking for… read more

Second Chance Toys is donating nearly 100 toys to the children of Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Shelter this May. Second Chance Toys is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation founded in 2006 to rescue and recycle plastic toys for children in need by donating them to community organizations. Because non biodegradable plastic is kept out of our landfills, Second Chance Toys is helping the environment at the same time… read more

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 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

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

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

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

The  BFL Speaker’s Bureau held its  Moving Beyond Shame special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Spearheaded by Speakers Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh, special guests included  Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities;Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; along with humanitarian/advocate Brett Scudder; and writer… read more

Goldman Sachs’ Community TeamWorks (CTW) supported Barrier Free Living's Freedom House emergency shelter this past year through a variety of volunteer initiatives, including a summer BBQ and  trips to the Bronx Zoo, Victoria Gardens, and the Natural History Museum. CTW released its 2014 Impact Report, thanking the "nearly 900 community partners who engaged our volunteers in over 1,580 service projects this year. Through this partnership, more than 25,000 Goldman Sachs volunteers contributed over 125,000 hours of service to… read more

The  BFL Speaker's Bureau will host Moving Beyond Shame a special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Special guests include Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities;Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; along with humanitarian/advocate Brett Scudder; writer Claire Cappetta; BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein; and Speaker's Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh. The BFL Speakers Bureau was founded in May… read more

Freedom House Team member Lisa Lorenzi will join the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York Oct. 18-19. Lisa joined the walk in memory of her Grandmother (pictured above with Lisa). Lisa says: "My grandmother's cancer taught me to cherish life daily. To love the people in my life with all my heart, and let them know often how much I love them often. It taught me to have no regrets and… read more

CVS Health (BFL's Freedom House Program is a CVS Caremark Community Grant program participant) has announced the end of tobacco sales at CVS/pharmacy as of September 3, nearly a month ahead of the previously targeted date of October 1, making CVS/pharmacy the first and only national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers. To raise awareness about the benefits of quitting smoking, CVS Health is launching a social campaign –… read more

By Cynthia Amodeo, Director of Family Services, Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter. July was 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… read more

Howard Cain at National Environmental, which supplies janitorial materials to Freedom House, donated uniform shirts to the maintenance team in support of the program's mission. John Macias, Facility Manager at Freedom House, said the new shirts featuring the agency logo were a great addition to team building for his hard working staff.… read more

During the 2014 summer all agency Town Hall meeting, Innovation Awards were presented to Aida Colon (Freedom House, pictured) for her creation of the Dare to Dream Event, and Aaron Scott (Transitional Housing) for his out of the box thinking during recent corporate volunteer days. CEO Paul Feuerstein presented the awards, applauding the team members' creativity and ability to stretch the boundaries of traditional thinking on the job.… read more

May 2014: The Link Between Domestic Violence and Pregnancy By Cynthia Amodeo, Director of Family Services, Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter. Cynthia is a licensed mental health counselor who graduated Teachers College, Columbia University with her Master of Education and Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.  Cynthia has been working at Freedom House since 2008 first as the children’s counselor, then Coordinator and now Director of Family Services.  Prior to Freedom House she worked with children and families impacted by… read more

Hearts of Gold, which sponsors BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter,  was featured on the May 6th TODAY Show (NBC) in a special segment in honor of Mother’s Day entitled HOPE TO IT. The Hearts of Gold mission is to “foster sustainable change in lifestyle and levels of self-sufficiency for homeless mothers and their children. ” Learn more.… read more

Dare To Dream, a Spring Boutique showcasing products created and sold by Freedom House Emergency Shelter Residents drew an overflow crowd of supporters on April 17. This special invite only event, attended by residents of the domestic violence program as well as BFL Board Membes and Community Partners, was the finale of an entrepreneurial workshop and could be the first step towards a lifelong business dream. Guest speakers included New York University… read more

An educator in professional development and community outreach at the New Museum in NYC,   Jane Hsu has created a dynamic new art workshop for the residents of Freedom House Emergency Shelter, with a possible art show in the works. Jane shares how she got involved at the domestic violence program, and her plans for the group. How did you learn about Freedom House, and what drew you to volunteer and facilitate… read more

Nicole Lesser, Program Director of Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Emergency Shelter will be on hand to introduce the films,  A Life with Aspergers (a short) and Stand Clear of the Closing Door (pictured above) at 5 p.m. on March 6 at The 6th Annual Reel Abilities Film Festival. The films are being shown at Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work. ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival is the largest festival… read more

Kessler Foundation sponsored a coat drive for BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter, donating warm coats to the families at the facility. Several hundred coats were received, said Occupational Therapy Coordinator Patricia Motus, who added that "It was amazing. Residents came and everyone found a coat that fit them perfectly. It looked like the coats were made for them." Freedom House is nationally recognized as the first fully accessible emergency shelter for disabled victims of domestic violence and their families. Kessler… read more

A Winter Wonder Land event, funded by Events by Secrets catering and the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) was held at BFL's Freedom House emergency shelter. Events by Secrets provided Freedom House families brunch, a  hot dog cart,  popcorn cart and gifts. Harlem Children Zone provided gifts,a  cookie decorating table and arts and craft for the children as well.… read more