Friends In Deed Podcast
Friends In Deed (FID) is an interfaith organization that provides supportive services to our homeless and at risk neighbors to help them rebuild their lives. Each week, FID Executive Director, Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater, talks about our programs, interviews clients, has conversations with staff, community leaders and commentators around issues of poverty, homelessness, religious values, morals and much more! Learn more at www.friendsindeedpas.org, follow us on Instagram @friendsindeedpas, or visit us at facebook.com/friendsindeedpas.
Episodes
60 episodes
2025 Begins with Eaton Fire Destruction: 1st Podcast of the Year
Welcome to 2025! Sadly, it didn't start well for folks in Southern California, including Altadena/Pasadena, where Friends In Deed is located. In this first episode of the year, Rabbi Joshua returns with an update on programs and operations post...
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16:53
Families with Babies Living in Cars, Homeless Seniors Needing Dialysis: Short Update from Street Outreach and Housing
Today, Rabbi Joshua spends a few minutes talking with some members of the Street Outreach and Housing team to find out the latest goings on. We hear about increasing numbers of families without homes, people starting to suffer from the cold, an...
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12:37
2024 - 15 Intersection between Homelessness and Domestic Violence
Today, Rabbi Joshua sits down with Tunisia Offray, Co-Director of Shepherd's Door, a domestic violence resource center in Pasadena. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss not only how domestic violence affects homelessness, but Tunisia sh...
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Season 2024
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Episode 15
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25:45
2024 - 14 State of FID 2024
This week, Rabbi Joshua shares the full recording of the State of FID, which was a live event recorded on 11/20/24. You will hear from each of the program directors and leadership of Friends In Deed about all of the goings on for the past year,...
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Season 2024
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Episode 14
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1:17:46
2024-13 All Things FID! A Update with Ryan Greer
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua checks in with FID's Senior Director of Programs, Ryan Greer, to hear about the latest in each program and to discuss the Measure A initiative that will be on the ballot in LA County this November.
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Season 2024
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Episode 13
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29:31
2024-12 Public Libraries and Estevez film 'The Public': Interview with Tim McDonald, Library Director for City of Pasadena
In this special episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with Tim McDonald, the Library Director for Pasadena. They discuss not only the value and importance of libraries in our communities and society, but also talk about the film The Public, and how libr...
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Season 2024
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Episode 12
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36:30
2024-11 Grants Pass City Council Meeting Debrief and Annual Report Highlights
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua shares an update on what transpired at the recent city council meeting around the Grants Pass decision and how it might affect those experiencing homelessness in Pasadena. If you want to learn more about the whole ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 11
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23:40
2024-10 Preparing for City Council Discussion on Encampments
In this short episode, Rabbi Joshua shares Friends In Deed's 'keynotes and solutions' study sheet that was submitted to city council in advance of the meeting on 9/9/24. Unfortunately, after requesting to be included in the official presentatio...
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Season 2024
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Episode 10
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18:15
2024-9 Grants Pass v. Johnson, Part II--Conversation with Tish Inong, Director of Street Outreach and Housing
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua continues the conversation about the Grants Pass decision, and specifically how this might start directly affecting our city of Pasadena. He welcomes Friends In Deed's Director of Street Outreach and Housing, Tish ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 9
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22:21
2024-8 Grants Pass v. Johnson, Part I
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua discusses the recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which overruled the 9th circuit in saying that 'camping' on the streets if you are homeless, even if you don't have anywhere else to go, does not constitute cruel a...
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Season 2024
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Episode 8
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15:51
2024-7 2024 Homeless Count, Initial Thoughts from the Report
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua shares the highlights and findings from the recently released Pasadena 2024 Homeless Count report. In the next episode, he will bring on other folks to discuss the report and talk about what it means for the ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 7
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16:35
2024-6 Older Americans Facing Eviction is on the Rise
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with Stacey McCarroll, the Director of our Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance program, about the overall state of evictions in our community, and the rising rate of older Americans in particular. ...
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Season 2024
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Episode 6
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31:43
2024-5 Mental Illness is Real and Needs Our Attention: Conversation with Dr. Julie Moore
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with therapist and psychologist, Dr. Julie Moore, who has a private practice, but has been volunteering her services at Friends In Deed, offering twice a month walk-in sessions for both Street Outreach and T...
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Season 2024
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Episode 5
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35:17
2024-4 Living in Your Car at Age 70
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua talks with Suzanne, a woman who has seen a great many challenges in her life, including cancer and the loss of her parents and siblings in just a few short years. Before getting sick, she was a successful paralegal...
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Season 2024
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Episode 4
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33:38
2024-3 My Dog is My Home: Emotional Support Animals Save Lives
It is often said that "dogs are a person's best friend." This is certainly true, and perhaps more so, for our unsheltered neighbors experiencing homelessness. On this episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with Christine Kim, founder of a non-profit call...
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Season 2024
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Episode 3
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44:37
2024-2 Anthony and His 7 year-old Chess Champion Son Get Housed!
In this special episode, Rabbi Joshua talks at length with Anthony, a man our Street Outreach team worked with and helped get permanently housed. He has a pretty inspiring story, albeit difficult, which includes his incredible son winning chess...
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Season 2024
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Episode 2
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44:12
2024-1 Bad Weather Shelter Reopening!
Welcome to 2024! In this first episode of the new year, Rabbi Joshua talks about the Bad Weather Shelter as this is the first time we will be operating in 3 years! There is a new location, Trinity Lutheran Church, and so Rabbi Joshua has a conv...
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Season 2024
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Episode 1
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26:31
2023-16 FID 2023 Recap
For this final episode of the year, Rabbi Joshua shares some of the numbers and highlights of how our services were provided this past year. It was a record year in all of our programs, both in number of people attending and in the new ways we ...
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Season 2023
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Episode 16
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17:52
2023-15 It's Not Just a Job, it's a Spiritual Calling: Interview with TWR's Jane Armbruster
We are back! After a bit of a hiatus, we are thrilled to post a brand new episode. After sharing some updates and highlights from the past few weeks, Rabbi Joshua has a wonderful interview and conversation with Jane Armbruster, The Women's Room...
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Season 2023
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Episode 15
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41:45
2023-14 A Conversation with Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez
In this very special episode, Rabbi Joshua has a wide-ranging interview with Steve Lopez, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, who has been a columnist with the Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades. Mr. Lopez is the author o...
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Season 2023
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Episode 14
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59:01
2023-13 "It's Like Heaven" A Personal Story of a Guest in The Women's Room in Her Own Words
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua talks with Ondina, a guest in The Women's Room who worked with our staff first to find a domestic violence shelter for safety, and then locate permanent housing. Ondina is an inspiring and energetic woman who share...
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Season 2023
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Episode 13
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14:26
2023-12 Renting in California? Either make $44/hr or work 3 minimum wage jobs!
In part 2 of the conversation about the National Low Income Housing Coalition's report, 'Out of Reach," Rabbi Joshua dives into the wage rate needed to live in and around Pasadena, which is 3x the rate of the minimum wage! The statistics aren't...
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Season 2023
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Episode 12
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28:03
2023-11 Don't Make $24/hr? Good Luck Renting a 1-bedroom home in America
In the first of a multi-part series, Rabbi Joshua begins to unpack a report called 'Out of Reach,' published annually by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which tracks the cost of rentals in every state, and compares them with the wage...
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Season 2023
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Episode 11
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21:43
2023-10 The Demographic of the Forgotten: A Conversation with FID Substance Abuse Specialist Olivia Esteb
We are back after a few weeks hiatus! On this episode, Rabbi Joshua talks with Olivia Esteb, the Substance Abuse Specialist on our Street Outreach team, who shares her story of growing up in Pasadena, having health and personal challenges as a ...
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Season 2023
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Episode 10
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26:01
2023-9 "It Won't Happen to Me": One Woman's Story on the Streets
For this very special episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks to one of the guests in The Women's Room, who opens up about her life and experience of being homeless for the past 5 years. Having had a stable upbringing, a career and loving parents, the dea...
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Season 2023
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Episode 9
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24:44