![\"East](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015.jpg\")
<\/center>By Dana Rosenwasser<\/em>\nMarch 12, 2015<\/em><\/p>\n
In remembrance of the first anniversary of the East Harlem building collapse, First Lady Chirlane McCray joined Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito and officials from the Mayor\u2019s Fund to present a certificate of recognition and appreciation to our programs.<\/p>\n
Manhattan Community Program Director Barbara Ellis and Safe Horizon Counseling Center Senior Director Ruth Forero accepted the honor for providing speedy response and imperative crisis services to the community in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
Responding Swiftly to Crisis<\/h2>\n
The event recounted the shocking turn of events on March 12, 2014 when a gas explosion destroyed two five-story buildings by 116th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, and damaged several adjacent buildings. Tragically, eight residents lost their lives that morning. The collapse left residents and community members alike in shock, disrupting hundreds of lives, and damaging the livelihood of dozens of New Yorkers.<\/p>\n
Within two days, Safe Horizon was engaged as a partner by the Mayor\u2019s Fund to Advance the City of New York to administer a victims\u2019 assistance fund from our Manhattan-Bronx Community Program. Staff of various backgrounds that included trauma experts, social workers and case managers tended to the needs of those who lost loved ones, were displaced from their homes, or suffered damage to their furniture and belongings.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe Horizon has deep experience in trauma response and supporting individuals and communities following disastrous events<\/em>\u201d Juanito Vargas commented. \u201cAlthough we typically work with victims of abuse, we were able to apply our expertise to provide both emotional and practical support to survivors of the East Harlem building collapse.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n In just 14 weeks, Safe Horizon provided more than 1, 000 counseling sessions and advocacy to more than 100 households, and distributed more than $270, 000 in direct aid.\u00a0These resources were able to support various critical needs that ranged from enabling the burial of loved ones in a foreign country to buying essentials such as clothing, groceries, and furniture. Families who needed to relocate, were provided with rent deposit support. Our team worked closely with city agencies and local non-profits to advocate for the residents\u2019 needs including Union Settlement and Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) Family Health Service.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole crew provided a range of assistance to those who suffered various kinds of trauma from the event, from home damage to the death of a loved one, <\/em>\u201d said Barbara Ellis. \u201cI am most proud of the fact that, despite the challenges, we all rose to the occasion. I think we did some extraordinary things.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" First Lady Chirlane McCray honors Safe Horizon for responding swiftly to the East Harlem building collapse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":2772,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":500,"height":294,"file":"2015\/03\/East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015-150x150.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015-300x176.jpg","width":300,"height":176,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015-300x176.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"post":2765,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/East-Harlem-Explosion-Anniversary-2015.jpg"},"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","issue-victims-of-other-abuse"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","page_header_excerpt":"","page_header_image":false,"related_initiative_title":"You can make a difference!","related_initiative_link":"\/donate\/","related_initiative_link_text":"Donate","featured_posts":[{"ID":1393,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2016-03-10 00:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2016-03-10 00:00:00","post_content":"Supporting Victims of the Building Collapse<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Barbara-Ellis-Embodying-Safe-Horizon-Vision-Community-Program\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Barbara-Ellis-Embodying-Safe-Horizon-Vision-Community-Program.jpg\")
<\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\nWitnessing or experiencing violence can be emotionally and physically traumatic. Our Community Programs are New York City mainstays that serve all five boroughs, providing survivors of violence with resources such as referrals to practical and emergency assistance, advocacy and counseling. These services are available for survivors of all types of violence ranging from domestic violence to rape and sexual assault, to child abuse to hate crimes, gang violence or any type of crime or violence.\r\n\r\nBarbara Ellis oversees the Community Program that helps over 700 residents in the Bronx and Manhattan each year. As director of the Manhattan-Bronx Community Program for over a decade, Barbara manages a staff of three social workers, ensures the accuracy of documentation and provides direct services to clients.\r\nChanging Lives after Terrorist Attacks<\/h2>\r\nBarbara heard about Safe Horizon in the aftermath of the September 11th<\/sup> attacks on the World Trade Center. Safe Horizon was one of the agencies called upon by The Mayor\u2019s Fund to Advance New York City to provide disaster relief. The realization that she could have easily been a victim made Barbara take the tragic event very personally. \u201cOn September 11th<\/sup>, I had to miss an appointment at the World Trade Center at 9:30 in the morning because I wasn\u2019t able to make it that day, I felt spared and blessed.<\/em>\u201d\r\n\r\nIn addition to supporting people impacted by the attacks, Barbara continued to maintain the everyday services for communities impacted by violence. Thankfully, Barbara\u2019s prior professional experience helped her understand the breadth of Safe Horizon\u2019s clients and services. \u201cI worked as a social worker in foster care at Little Flower Children and then at Lincoln Hospital. Many times, I referred people who experienced domestic violence to Safe Horizon\u2019s hotline.<\/em>\u201d\r\n
Her Passion for Social Service<\/h2>\r\nBarbara feels especially passionate about helping individuals and families impacted by homicide. One of the clients who Barbara formed a close relationship with is a mother whose daughter was fatally shot. The daughter was an aspiring basketball player whose murder was heavily covered in the media.\r\n\r\nBarbara helped the grieving mother obtain financial help for the funeral costs through state assistance and provided compassionate support to help her through an experience no parent should ever have to bear. \u201cI think of what that young girl\u2019s life could have been and I apply that perspective to my own life. If there\u2019s something I wish I could do, I think of that girl and imagine that if she were alive today, she would be a professional basketball player. It inspires me to take that leap.<\/em>\u201d\r\n\r\nThis case is one example of how our staff touch the lives of more than 250, 000 New Yorkers a year in their time of need. Our Community Program staff help more than 5, 000 clients each year in person or through our helpline. Barbara is proud to be part of an organization that seeks to end all violence. Her approach to her work embodies both the mission and vision of Safe Horizon. \u201cI never feel that I\u2019m at work, I always feel that I\u2019m on a mission. I work on the premise that my vision is to have a world where there is no crime. I work as if I\u2019m trying to eradicate all crime.<\/em>\u201d","post_title":"Barbara Ellis: Embodying the Safe Horizon Vision","post_excerpt":"For survivors of all types of violence ranging from domestic violence to hate crimes or gang violence, Barbara Ellis is there, embodying Safe Horizon's vision to eradicate all crime.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"barbara-ellis-embodying-the-safe-horizon-vision","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:33:25","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:33:25","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/safehorizon.dev\/uncategorized-en\/barbara-ellis-embodying-the-safe-horizon-vision\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1693,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2016-05-19 16:24:23","post_date_gmt":"2016-05-19 16:24:23","post_content":"May 19, 2016<\/em>\r\n\r\nIt takes strength, unyielding optimism, and driving commitment to support the New Yorkers affected by violence that Safe Horizon helps every year. It is an especially great honor when others shine a spotlight on our staff. In the Spring of 2016, the following Safe Horizon employees have received accolades for their work. Please join us in saluting the following individuals for truly making a difference.\r\n
Stacia Buckner, Lydia Martinez Multidisciplinary Collaboration Award<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Stacia-Buckner-rape-crisis-coordinator-and-social-worker-SH\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Stacia-Buckner-rape-crisis-coordinator-and-social-worker-SH.png\")
\r\n\r\nStacia Buckner, a rape crisis coordinator and social worker at Safe Horizon\u2019s Staten Island Community Program<\/a>, provides direct services to clients, supervises the rape survivor advocate program, and extends prevention efforts to the greater community. She has been chosen to receive the Lydia Martinez Multidisciplinary Collaboration Award for her role as a \"Rape Crisis Professional.\" The award is given by The New York City Alliance against Sexual Assault to passionate and dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of sexual assault victims in New York City.\u201cIt is an honor that people let me into their lives at such a pure, vulnerable moment. I value my position where I\u2019m able to assist survivors of rape and sexual assault in healing after their traumatic experiences and I am grateful that Safe Horizon gives me the platform to do so.<\/em>\u201d\r\nKimmi Herring, Frontline Hero Award<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Kimmi-Herring-director-of-Safe-Horizon-Manhattan-Bronx-Community-Program\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Kimmi-Herring-director-of-Safe-Horizon-Manhattan-Bronx-Community-Program.png\")
\r\n\r\nKimmi Herring, director of Safe Horizon\u2019s Brooklyn Community Program<\/a>, advocates for survivors of all types of violence every day. She has been chosen by New York Nonprofit Media to receive the Frontline Hero Award. The award honors behind-the-scenes human services practitioners who are committed, innovative and who lead and advocate for change in New York City.\r\n
![\"Foster-Grandparents-2016\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Foster-Grandparents-2016.png\")
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