HHCLA'S Executive Director
Mark Casanova
Executive Director
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
Mark
Casanova, Executive Director of Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, went to
college way too late for the Vietnam-era protest movement, but that didn't
prevent him from spending his student years demonstrating for affirmative
action and other social causes. Despite the rabble rousing, Casanova eventually
graduated in 1984 from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in Latin American history.
He later got his master's in marriage, family and child therapy.
Apart from stints towing cars, driving taxis, delivering eggs and produce, and painting houses-- Mark has always worked with the homeless through clinical service, training and administration. He began his clinical work in 1985 interning with a Salvation Army Family Shelter and Counseling Center. Two years later, he joined Homeless Health Care Los Angeles as a Case Management and Mental Health Specialist and stayed through various iterations of that organization to become its current Director. He now heads a staff of 40 and administers a budget of $3.2 million. His responsibility as Executive Director is to inspire staff and motivate his co-workers to carry out their crucial mission of improving the health of homeless people through direct service, education and advocacy. Mark is committed to a harm reduction model of treatment because he believes that caring about people means caring about them wherever they find themselves.
Mark is on the Board of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, the Coalition for Community Health, the Los Angeles Community Action Neighborhood Network, and the Children’s Community School. He is a Blue Ribbon Panel member of “Bring L.A. Home” charged with drafting the 10-year initiative to end homelessness in Los Angeles.
Mark is married with four children. He spends his free time enjoying alternative music, watching feel-good movies and wacky cable shows, coaching team sports and just plain relaxing from the day-to-day grind-- he’s interested in everything and wishes there were more hours in the day.
