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 episode, FID CEO, 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
76 episodes
Vehicular Homeless: Conversation with Professor Chris Giamarino
Stories and anecdotes are important and help to touch the emotional side of people's lives. Yet sometimes, we need data and research to support those stories, especially with policy makers. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with Professor Ch...
2026 - 4 Successful 3-D Printing a Solution for Interim Housing: Conversation with co-founder Gene Edelman
Tired of hearing that interim housing costs too much, takes too long and isn't viable? On this episode, Rabbi Joshua speaks with Gene Edelman, co-founder of Azure Printed Homes, whose company is having success in parts of California and around ...
2026 - 3 From Darkness to Light: Cristian's Journey to The Women's Room
In today's episode, Rabbi Joshua visits The Women's Room (TWR) to talk with a guest about her life and how she arrived at Friends In Deed. Cristian's honesty and inspiration is certainly a testament to the power of faith, community, survival--n...
2026 - 2 Congregation Emerging from the Ashes, Part II: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua has an in-depth conversation with Rector Carrie Grindon of Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in Altadena. Pastor Grindon shares her experience with the Eaton Fire, learning about the burning of the church and homes of ...
2026 - 1 Destroyed Houses of Worship Emerge from the Fire: Conversation with 3 Local Clergy
On this special episode, Rabbi Joshua has in-depth conversation with three local clergy, all of whose houses of worship burned in the Eaton Fire: Pastor Connie DeVaughn of Altadena Baptist Church, and Rabbi Josh Ratner and Cantor Ruth Berman Ha...
2025 - 12 Safe Parking: Why it Works and Why We Should Support it!
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua discusses Safe Parking programs and talks with FID's new Director of Street Outreach and Housing, Giulianna LoMaglio, who has expertise in how successful safe parking can be for moving people from homelessness to h...
2025 - 11 Meet Opie: TWR Guest Who Went from College to the Streets to Grad School
Grateful to move forward from the government shutdown, Rabbi Joshua speaks today with Opie, a woman in her 20s, who has a more unusual story than most guests who come to The Women's Room. She opens up about her early life in Tennessee, attendin...
2025 - 10 SNAP CUTS BEGINNING! A conversation with FID Food Pantry Director, Tim Nistler
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua is joined by Tim Nistler for a conversation about the impending cuts to SNAP benefits and how it is affecting our food pantry community. Tim shares the staggering new record of households in one week, and speaks ab...
2025 - 9 Money for Ballrooms But Not SNAP
Rabbi Joshua checks in on Day 22 of the government shutdown. On November 1st, without an agreement to reopen, millions of people, mostly children, will lose their SNAP benefits, which are commonly known as food stamps or EBT cards. Yet, there i...
2025 - 8 Government Shutdown and Funding Housing
In this episode, Rabbi Joshua checks in on day 9 of the government shutdown to highlight how this will potentially begin to affect the most vulnerable in our country, and how the current budget proposal includes sweeping cuts to the Continuum o...
2025 - 7 Trying to Count People: Conversation with Jennifer O'Reilly Jones on 2025 Homeless Count
Today Rabbi Joshua is joined by Pasadena Housing Department's Homelessness Coordinator, Jenni O-Reilly Jones, as they discuss the results from both the 2024 Annual Homeless Count and the 2025 Point in Time Count. There are some positives to rep...
2025 - 6 Fleeing the Flames, Losing Everything: A Conversation with Jennifer
Jennifer is a single mom of two children who all fled for their lives on January 7th. Along with her parents, sister and their families, who all lived together in Altadena, they lost home. Jennifer talks with Rabbi Joshua about her life pre-fir...
2025 - 5 Eaton Fire Update: Tish Inong and Street Outreach
Today, Rabbi Joshua speaks with the Director of Street Outreach and Housing, Tish Inong, LCSW, to hear about the ways her team has been supporting those impacted by the Eaton fire, as well as a few exciting partnerships that are offering new as...
2025 - 4 Meet our New Strategic Plan!
On this episode, Rabbi Joshua shares in depth about the new strategic plan that is guiding the work of Friends In Deed for the next three years. And, as a special addition, he is playing some music in between segments of the show, so look forwa...
2025 - 3 Katie Hill, New Face in Town: Conversation with new Union Station CEO
Rabbi Joshua welcomes the new CEO of Union Station, Katie Hill, to the podcast to discuss her background, career and initial thoughts on the state of homelessness in Pasadena. They also discuss the recent turmoil taking place with LAHSA and the...
2025 - 2 Live Conversation with Rep. Judy Chu: Potential Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid
On this special episode, Rabbi Joshua welcomes Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28) to the Food Pantry, after her office reached out about coming to talk about potential federal funding cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition As...
2025 - 1 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...
2024 - 16 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...
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...
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,...
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.
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...