Mario Cardenas is a man in long term recovery with lived experience in substance use, mental health, and incarceration as well as family unification. Because of this, he has been able to use his lived experience as a lead mentor, facilitator for trainings through MHACBO, a primary counselor for the first Latino Spanish speaking intensive outpatient housing Program (Latino Homebase Recovery Program) with VOA, and a clinical specialist care coordinator for the Multnomah County PATH team, where he connected people to recovery services at all levels.
He is a strong advocate for family unification, houseless populations, education, youth drug prevention, and harm reduction. He is currently the first Latino KSA culturally specific program coordinator for the Latinx community with Multnomah County’s office of Consumer Engagement. As a person with lived experience, he was able to see first-hand the benefits of receiving services from The Pathfinder Network, and as a community partner, he has been able to connect many participants to the resources The Pathfinder Network provides. Mario’s passion is to continue advocating and serving our community with the help of those who share the same passion. For Mario, it is a privilege to be a part of the advisory board for The Pathfinder Network.