In this eye-opening episode, I sat down with a man who doesn’t just talk about homelessness — he fixes it. My guest, Dr. Dave Marlon, is an expert with boots on the ground, working daily to pull people out of despair and prevent the crisis from exploding in Las Vegas. Together, we cut through the hand-wringing and political posturing to talk about practical, proven strategies for helping the homeless and keeping more people from ending up on the streets. No sugarcoating, no empty promises — just real talk about real solutions.
Dave’s op-ed published in the Review Journal: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/las-vegas-review-journal-sunday/20250622/282617448725805
Golden Ticket: https://vegasstronger.org/the-golden-ticket/
Vegas Stronger https://vegasstronger.org/
Soft White Underbelly https://www.youtube.com/@SoftWhiteUnderbelly
“The Tragedy of American Compassion” book: https://www.regnery.com/9781684514168/the-tragedy-of-american-compassion/
Dave Marlon, PsyD, MBA, LADC-S, CPC-I, SAP is an interventionist, social entrepreneur and addictionologist. He co-founded and serves as CEO of Vegas Stronger, a nonprofit that is working to end homelessness in Las Vegas by addressing key issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, and health issues. He founded and built one of the most successful addiction recovery centers in the country in the heart of Southern Nevada. The 30-year Las Vegas resident, after successfully addressing his own struggles with substance abuse, realized that he was uniquely suited to help others confronting addiction. Dave has been clean and sober since 5/15/05.
His peers have consistently recognized Dave as a leader in his field. He is the President of the Southern Nevada Association of Addiction Professionals (S.N.A.A.P.) and the 2018 National Advocacy Award from the Association for Addiction Professionals. Locally, he has been recognized as a graduate of the Leadership Las Vegas program, with the Mayor’s Commendation, and received the Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada’s Vanguard Award. He has served on the Governor’s Substance Abuse Working Group. Dave’s work in the recovery sector earned him the Inspired Excellence Award from Las Vegas H.E.A.L.S.
He founded The C.A.R.E. Coalition and The Solutions Foundation, both of which combat substance abuse in Southern Nevada and help raise awareness about addictive behavior and its consequences. Dave has served on many nonprofit boards such as H.E.L.P. of Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, the Nevada Donor Network, Serving Our Kids Foundation, Shine-A-Light, and the U.N.L.V. Soccer Foundation. He has helped establish the first public recovery high school in the nation and is helping champion the fight against the opiate epidemic through the foundation, Vegas Stronger. He formerly was CEO of Crossroads of Southern Nevada, an indigent detox and housing facility, and Solutions Recovery, the largest private alcohol and other drug rehabilitation company in the state.
Altogether, Dave has more than 30 years of health care experience in both recovery and insurance. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the State University of New York and holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dave is pursuing his Doctorate degree in psychology at Walden University and is all but dissertation (ABD), towards his PsyD. In Nevada, he is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor – Supervisor, a Clinical Professional Counselor Intern, and a Department of Transportation Substance Abuse Professional.
Dave was featured in season 22 of A&E’s Emmy award-winning show Intervention. Dave’s most important role is as father to his two boys, Owen and Tristan. He enjoys boxing, mountain climbing, and helping others in recovery.
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