In this deeply moving and expansive episode of Doing What Works: Innovations in Homeless Services, host Ashanti Blaze-Hopkins speaks with Matt Walton, Executive Director of Clare Matrix and a longtime innovator in health technology. With a career that spans decades and industries—from DARPA-backed tech startups to pioneering medical record systems—Walton now leads one of the Westside’s most vital behavioral health organizations.
Walton shares how a lifetime in systems thinking and entrepreneurial innovation unexpectedly led him to the addiction treatment field. Through personal stories and professional insights, he illustrates the urgent need for integrated care, compassionate infrastructure, and the kind of recovery-focused models that treat people, not just symptoms.
This episode examines the role of healthcare interoperability, the societal roots of addiction and homelessness, and how institutions like Clare Matrix—and educational partners like Santa Monica College—can fill critical workforce gaps with heart, purpose, and integrity. Walton’s clear-eyed optimism and deep belief in service challenge listeners to rethink what’s possible when tech, humanity, and mission align.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
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Why technology, when applied humanely, can radically reshape addiction recovery and public health systems.
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How Clare Matrix blends evidence-based treatment with compassion—and why this matters for long-term outcomes.
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The story behind fragmented medical record systems and the life-threatening gaps they create—and how we fix them.
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Why behavioral health careers are among the most vital (and secure) pathways for students who want to make a real difference.
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How community college programs like SMC’s Homeless Services Certificate are part of the solution to a national workforce crisis in mental health and addiction recovery.
About Our Guest
Matt Walton is the Executive Director of Clare Matrix, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment for addiction and mental illness. His journey to this role has been anything but traditional. A Yale MBA and serial tech entrepreneur, Walton has launched and led companies in cybersecurity, healthcare technology, and national defense sectors.
His early work with electronic medical records and AI-powered data search tools laid the foundation for his shift into addiction recovery leadership. Previously, he served as CEO of High Watch Recovery Center and worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve diagnostic systems.
At Clare Matrix, Walton focuses on holistic, human-first care—anchoring treatment in recovery, not just detox. Under his leadership, the organization remains one of the last full-service behavioral health providers west of the 405 freeway, offering a continuum of care to some of LA’s most vulnerable residents.
Impactful Quotes
“My first job ever was working as a stock boy in a shirt factory in New Haven, Connecticut... But the job that shaped me most? Working as a miner at 11,000 feet in the Rockies. You learn fast that your awareness—of people, process, danger—can’t slip for a second.”
“At the end of the day, while I love technology… I’m a humanist. It’s the human experience I find most compelling.”
— Matt Walton
“We discovered stage-one cancer diagnoses sitting in ignored radiology notes. That's when it hits you—it’s not just inefficient. It's lethal.”
“We want to put recovery back into treatment. Not just seven days and a bus pass. We’re building lives, not ticking boxes.”
“If you want job security and purpose, this field will never stop needing you. These careers aren’t going away—they’re only growing.”
“The people we serve are often the most broken of the broken. We don’t try to do everything—we just try to do this really well.”
