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 […]
A Crisis Intervention Story – Finding Ways to Communicate Read More »
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
Lee’s Story – Continuing Recovery Read More »
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
Barriers to Housing – Dan’s Story Read More »
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
Barriers to Housing – Bella’s Story Read More »
What do women experiencing homelessness need most? This was a question posed by a group of women from Pasadena churches – the “Women’s Issue Committee” – in 2005. They spent many months researching the question, but didn’t let things rest there: they put their findings into practice by opening The Women’s Room at Friends In
The TWR Story – The “Persisterhood” Read More »
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
Jenny’s Story – Always Finding a Little Extra Read More »
About a decade ago, Debby Singer, who was then the Education Director at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center (PJTC), was approached by her rabbi because he had been invited to join the board of Friends In Deed. “My wife will kill me if I join another board,” he said. “Can you take a look and
Debby’s Story – Fixing the World Read More »
Mishele had just moved to Pasadena and was looking for a way to connect with the community. She heard about Friends In Deed, looked us up online, read about The Women’s Room, and got in touch. She has been involved in making lunch for The Women’s Room on a monthly basis ever since! As a
Mishele’s Story – Always a Lunch on the Table Read More »
Annie has a deep connection to the work we do on both a personal and a professional level – she is studying for a masters degree in social work, but also researches nonprofit organizations for her employer, a local philanthropist. When she first visited us, Annie says that she “fell in love” with Friends In
Annie’s Story – Checking Her Own Stuff at the Door Read More »
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
Wanda’s Story – Knocked Off Balance Read More »
