Client story

In his early 20s, Jerry was already climbing the ranks in the restaurant industry. As a manager at a local Pasadena fast-food chain, he took pride in his work and the steady income it provided. When the Eaton Fire struck, his home was spared, but his livelihood suffered. With fewer customers dining out, the restaurant’s […]

When the Eaton Fire destroyed her home, Maya and her child were left with uncertainty and fear, but not without hope. Eligible for motel stays through Friends In Deed’s Rapid Rehousing and Pathways Program, Maya was determined to get back on her feet and into a permanent home. Maya had a Section 8 voucher and

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, every story of loss carries weight, but it’s often the quieter ones that gently remind us of the deep importance of compassion and community. Ms. Harris is 80 years old. She lost her home to the blaze and had been staying at a motel and covering the cost

In the early hours of the morning, on Wednesday, January 8th, a simple yet extraordinary act of kindness unfolded during the Eaton Fire. Two clients, recently housed above Washington Boulevard through the hard work of Friends In Deed’s Street Outreach and Housing team, were awoken by an urgent knock on their door. Their landlord, a

    An urgent call came through to the Street Outreach and Housing team from the Food Pantry. A deaf young man had come in, clearly needing help, but unable to communicate his needs. As it happened, two team members were out on the road and swung by the pantry. They began communicating with the

Lee had been in sober living for a year, but he timed out of the program without having found a place to live, and he ended up back on the streets, mostly living in his car in safe parking facilities. The Friends In Deed Street Outreach and Housing team became involved, and worked with Lee

Dan has a PhD – and ADHD. He’s extremely intelligent, but many of the executive function tasks other people take for granted – paying bills, taking out the trash, cleaning the house – are often beyond him. In the second of our series of fictionalized accounts of the barriers people experience to getting housing, we’ll

Transitioning someone into housing is never as simple as just handing them the keys – and the barriers our clients face are as varied as the people themselves. Here, we begin a new series of fictionalized accounts that illustrate some of the very real challenges our clients have to overcome in order to get a

Wanda (pictured here with Director of The Women’s Room Lindsey) is one of our “new brand” of clients in The Women’s Room – articulate, high-functioning women who never expected to be in the position of needing our services, but whose lives were knocked off balance by the pandemic and who have struggled to get back