Episode #26: Capt. Leonardo Cuadrado

Leonardo Cuadrado, Captain (ret) USMC, serves as New Directions for Veterans’ Interim President & Chief Operating officer. He is a remarkable leader who began his Marine career as an enlisted man. Cuadrado was selected for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP), where he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant before earning his commission as a Second Lieutenant and retired as the School Adjutant, USMC School of Infantry (West). Since leaving the Marines, he has served as Chief Operating Officer for A Place Called Home and most recently as Director of Veteran Programs at Goodwill (Southern California). Los Angeles has the largest population of homeless military veterans in the nation. The LA Homeless Services Authority estimates that more than 4,000 homeless veterans live on our streets. Many of these men and women suffer from Co-Occurring Disorders, including substance use, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as chronic medical problems. Since 1992, New Directions for Veterans (NDVets) has provided comprehensive services to thousands of veterans in Los Angeles County. Founded by two formerly homeless Vietnam veterans and a local advocate for homeless persons, NDVets initially operated out of a five-bedroom home serving eight homeless Vietnam War veterans. We now operate 2 Transitional Housing Programs for veterans on the street in need of housing and 6 Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) facilities in Los Angeles County, along with 6 additional sites that will finish construction by 2020. NDVets offers a wide array of services including substance abuse treatment, counseling, remedial education, job training and placement, as well as parenting and money management classes. Legal and tax assistance are available, as is an active aftercare program and resources for alumni. Veterans leave NDVets with a savings account, housing, a job or other income, computer skills, renewed self-confidence and the support of mentors and peers. Such a transformation takes hard work, motivation and accountability, but the results are life altering—and for many veterans, life-saving.