Client story

Jerry – a senior with a heart condition and a hearing impairment – had experienced homelessness for over 20 years. Originally from Tennessee, he has lived all around the greater Los Angeles area and could often be found panhandling outside Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena with his dog, Spot. The bond between Jerry and Spot is […]

Richard was living on and off the streets for 15 years. Sometimes he managed to find seasonal work, and sometimes housing, but never anything permanent. One wet and miserable night he was getting a meal at Pasadena Presbyterian Church when he was told that the church across the road had access to motel rooms during

A whole slew of issues – including tinnitus, vertigo, anxiety, depression, substance use, and a series of harmful relationships – left Denise in a bad place. These, plus the skyrocketing cost of rent, made it impossible for her to find anywhere to live. She wasn’t prepared to part with her dogs (Arwen and Rebel) to

Shaughna was living with her son, and it had become a domestic violence situation. Unlike many, Shaughna didn’t believe she would have any trouble leaving – she knew she had the skills to get a well-paying job. She walked out of the abusive situation in Las Vegas, and came to Pasadena for a fresh start.

Joan, a single woman in her mid-50s, reached out to our Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance (EPRA) program when she entered a local sober living facility in Pasadena. Recovering from substance abuse and mental health issues, Joan was afraid that, with limited income, she risked being kicked out of the facility and becoming homeless again.

Mark is a single father in his early thirties with a son in fifth grade. Recovering from a death in the immediate family left Mark unemployed for several months and he fell behind on his rent. By the time he reached out to FID’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance (EPRA) program to apply for assistance,

Kyle bumped into a member of our Street Outreach team while they were buying a taco, and he recognized our logo on their hoodie. Kyle was helped by our Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance team a while back – we were able to tide him over a difficult period by helping him with a deposit

Tammy was living with her daughter until her daughter got a Section 8 voucher to help with housing costs, which meant that she could no longer have a sub-tenant. Tammy relies on her own earnings to make ends meet – she has been denied Social Security – and those earnings are not enough to pay

Not all Friends In Deed stories have neat and happy endings. Sometimes the best we can hope for is “happier than it might have been.” Our Substance Abuse Specialist, Olivia, had lost track of one of her clients – something that can easily happen with the sector of the population she works with. So when

It can take many, many attempts to get a client into a stable housing situation. Sonia is a long-term client who has been through our Pathways program and been placed in bridge housing twice. She’s not always the easiest person to have around, and she has been banned from all the nearby shelters and several