Staff Member story

Fifteen years ago, Marlene’s life took an unexpected turn. She had been working in the for-profit world of real estate and mortgage lending since graduating from college. But when the 2008 recession hit, she was laid off—an event that might’ve felt like a dead end to some. For Marlene, it was an opportunity to do […]

When Tish Inong joined Friends In Deed nearly three years ago, she stepped into a role that was, in her words, “a blank canvas.” Today, as the Director of Street Outreach and Housing, she has transformed that canvas into a thriving program that supports some of Pasadena’s most vulnerable residents. Tish oversees a dynamic team

William’s story with Friends In Deed began back in 1999 when he was working at Grandview Foundation as a drug and alcohol counselor. One of his coworkers was an overnight staffer at Friends In Deed’s Bad Weather Shelter. He invited William to join the BWS staff – and so William, already working full time at

Jenny was having a run of bad luck – her husband’s shop had burned down, and the family was short of cash. Then she had a call from a former coworker, Lindsey, who had heard that Jenny was looking for some extra work. She offered Jenny a few hours per week at The Women’s Room

During the pandemic lockdown, Ryan and his wife found themselves taking walks through the neighborhood to get a break from being cooped up in their apartment. Friends In Deed House was on their regular route, and they became intrigued enough to check us out. From there it wasn’t long before Ryan started volunteering in the

Laura (pictured here one Christmas at the Bad Weather Shelter) is both one of our newest staff members, and one of our longest serving! As Director of the Bad Weather Shelter she has been with us only a matter of weeks, but as a Bad Weather Shelter worker she has been helping to cover the

Najwa always looks put together. Her makeup, hair, and nails are always absolutely on point (Najwa is known for her glamorously bejeweled nails!), and her clothes coordinate, right down to her shoes and belts. You can already see the attention to clothing and hair in the photo of Najwa as a little girl – and

Sometimes, calling someone “strong” is an easy way out. It can be easy to think that it matters less, if stressful and difficult things happen to a strong person, because they have the ability to cope with it. Friends In Deed Peer Specialist Angel Maxwell calls this idea out. “Life makes you strong,” she says,

Our Street Outreach Team’s Family Specialist, Michael Jaimes, has a strong reason to identify with some of the families he works with – one recent family in particular. The couple was originally from Colombia and had a baby on the way and no resources to fall back on. Michael was able to get them first