Long gone are the days of wrapping a public telephone receiver with tissue paper. Gone are the days of paying 50 cents for two minutes. The City of New York is making it easier for everyone with a mobile device...
In the pioneer spirit of barn-raising, The Black Lady Theatre at 750 Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn is being renovated. Leading the extensive rehabilitation are Clarence Jr. 2X and Omar Hardy, the father and son team who dedicate themselves to realizing...
A Men's Shelter One never knows how much she can endure until she's in the thick of it. Joy surprised herself by completing the six-month probation. She was sure her office mates and her clients would...
Help from a Colleague While Joy is getting up to speed as a Case Manager, the shelter residents are feeling the vacuum left from her promotion. An afternoon when Butler takes an approved extended lunch, Joy...
Be Your Own Champion Being a case manager with cases to manage is bearing down on Ms. Duggins. She's bringing the job home and some folks don't like it. Baby, if you don't stop talking about...
Mr. Butler Now that she's in the Social Services Office, Joy has to cut the mustard. Will she pass or will she be, like many before her, another fired employee. The thing Joy is most concerned...
The day has come after months of hard work, ostracism, and some good times: Joy is moving up! Joy loves Tuesdays and Fridays because she has the morning to herself. She may take a tub bath, prepare pancakes, or...
A Girl's Gotta Use What She Got! Getting a job is one hoop to jump through. Keeping it is the other hoop. The official prescription for job security is 1) Being on time, 2) Doing your...
Getting Your Own Keys It's been quiet but rest assured, Joy, Flo, Helen, Stan, Big Cheez, and Juliette are still dedicated to the mission of bringing services to the clients at the shelter. Bringing services...
Big Cheez in business casual Background The previous Mayor, Bloomberg, was about ridding the city of certain services. He drastically reduced the number of child care program sponsors, favoring large nonprofits that are willing to operate...
Life in a Men's Shelter Joy is comfortable with the 'cold shoulders' she gets from her office mates, the appreciation from the clients, and growing comradery with the Case Managers. Even the security officers are watchful when she...
TJ! A wise older Case Manager named Bill is known for saying, "If you feed the lion, he forgets how to hunt." Bill says this in reference to his cases and shares it with new social...
Being elderly in a shelter There's an African proverb that states, "The shrieking of children at play is the music of old age." Imagine being under a tree in the warmth of an African village. Warmed...
Life in a Men's Shelter My, my, my....the things humans adjust to. The human condition is quite remarkable. One day, someone is demanding that only Poland Spring bottled water be served to her. Another day, she's...
Civil War Soldiers Joy is a lifelong learner and this morning she's going to get an important lesson while riding the bus to work. "Memorial Day...what is being memorialized on Memorial Day?", are Joy's thoughts as...
Anytime is a good time to reflect. Everyone has his road to walk. Some walk purposely, while others walk aimlessly. Sometimes it is divine order that paths cross momentarily to share a truth: This big blue...
Home Sweet Home for Some There are many hoops a newbie may have to jump over before getting dug into a job. Some hoops are visible, others aren't. Today, Joy will learn an application that will...
Celebrating 35 Years To keep any ship in shape, the captain needs to review the crew. The second Tuesday in a month Big Cheez does that with Juliet in tow. On the second Tuesday of each...
He's heading home A homeless shelter holds different personality types. There are people living there due to fires and floods; others due to job loss; still others due to personality disorders. The shelter is a microcosm...
Keeping Track of Expenses Any facility needs each staff member to their part to have a good outcome. Good outcomes are gotten through planning and supervision. Stan the Operations Director sees it's time to bring the...
Dear Brooklyn Readers,
Only in America is it viewed normal for adjacent communities to exist within blocks of each other while living entirely different economic realities.
Launched in 2013, BK Reader (formerly The Brooklyn Reader) is an online hyperlocal daily news source reflecting the art, culture, business and lifestyle of the fastest-developing areas of Central and East Brooklyn.
