Politics

Boston City Council At-Large Race: Carla Monteiro

"I am uniquely prepared to address the crisis not only at Mass and Cass but of substance use, mental illness, and homelessness."

Carla Monteiro

By Mia McCarthy

5 minutes to read

Carla Monteiro, 38, is a Boston native currently working as a social worker and living in Dorchester with her son, Mesiah. Monteiro works in addiction care at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and emergency psychiatric care for young people at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Monteiro attended Quincy College in 2015, obtaining an associates of science degree in human services. Later, she went on to receive a degree in social work from Bridgewater State University in 2017 and a masters of social work degree from Boston College in 2019.

After an initial survey before the primary election in September, we surveyed Monteiro again: this time, on some of the election’s most pressing issues. Here are her responses.

What are your thoughts on Mass. and Cass and what solutions would you suggest to the problems that have arisen in the area?

The best and most direct way Boston can address not only the problem at Mass. and Cass but the citywide public health crisis is by investing in a housing-first approach because it is impossible for anyone to focus on their sobriety when they do not know where they will be sleeping or if they do not have their other basic needs met. As ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds come in, we must direct them towards developing more transitional and long term housing with a focus on providing Single Room Occupancy (SROs) spaces. All new housing solutions we develop should follow the harm reduction approach, be low-threshold to entry, and provide dual services – addressing both mental illness and substance use disorder. We must also address the concentration of clinics, shelters, and other resources around the intersection of Mass. and Cass by opening new facilities in all corners of the City including, but not limited to re-opening the Long Island Bridge and facility. In the interim of the construction of a new bridge we should explore a City-run ferry. This should not be an either/or debate. Read my full policy framework on this at Carla4Boston.us/platform

How can housing in Boston be more affordable and inclusive of all communities while mitigating gentrification?

Our housing crisis is deeply personal to me. My family was evicted from our home when I was 4 years old and as a young mother I found myself on the brink of homelessness. Rooted in that lived experience, I know how urgent it is to deliver affordable housing solutions and there are many viable policies we should pursue. One of note is Community Land Trusts (CLTs). Our city government should immediately pursue the creation of a fund to support CLTs that use a variety of approaches to stabilize working class neighborhoods. The beautiful thing about CLTs is that they are land owned by neighbors, by community members, and by non-profits made up of residents. This is how we solve this problem for generations to come and create not just affordable housing but urban farms and retail space for local businesses. I will add that we can not give up the fight to amend the Boston Area Median Income. While it’s a policy decided at the federal level, it’s our job to advocate for that change and it is desperately needed to ensure affordable truly means affordable for neighborhood residents.

How would you, if at all, adjust the Boston Police Department budget?

Like every institution in our city, policing in Boston must evolve and adapt to better meet the needs of our residents. Growing up, I lost friends and loved ones to gun violence and unfortunately that trend continued into my adult life. Rooted in that life experience, I believe in a collaborative approach to police reform in which we reallocate some responsibilities from BPD so that we can achieve the best response possible when someone in crisis needs help. This includes prioritizing nurses and social workers in public schools and having trained crisis responders handling 911 calls relevant to people experiencing homelessness, substance use, and mental health emergencies. For officers, my goal would be that this restructuring of what is included in their responsibilities allows them to focus on developing stronger neighborhood-based relationships and the strategic policing of our streets that helps prevent or interrupt violent crime.

What are your top priorities for Boston Public Schools right now?

First, I would like to say that I intend to vote YES on ballot question 3 to elect the Boston School Committee and I encourage your readers to do the same. In addition to this, I would share that I attended Boston Public Schools where I struggled academically. Looking back, I realize this was due to the trauma of losing friends and family to gun violence and the prison system. Without a healthy or structured way to process this trauma, I developed and struggled with undiagnosed anxiety. My academic path could have looked dramatically different if someone were present to identify, diagnose, and provide behavioral health services. Now more than ever, as we collectively climb back from over one year of social isolation, online learning, and massive loss of life – we must do everything we can to meet the behavioral health needs of our students. I believe now more than ever, it is essential that we not only have nurses and social workers present in all Boston Public Schools but that we aspire to meet the recommended ratio of one social worker to every two hundred and fifty students as set by the National Association of Social Workers.

What are two of your top priorities that you would like to address?

We’ve already hit on housing and the public health crisis of substance use, mental illness, and homelessness which are top of the list for me. I’m running to close the luxury apartment to affordable housing development gap. Boston residents should be on a pathway to housing stability rather than displacement. As the only social worker running citywide and one who specializes in addiction counseling, I am uniquely prepared to address the crisis not only at Mass. and Cass but of substance use, mental illness, and homelessness citywide. I would most urgently add to this list that the time is long overdue for us to deliver real policy solutions to the climate crisis. Alongside my colleagues on the council, the next Mayor, and of course the residents of Boston, I would look forward to immediately getting to work on a Boston Green New Deal. With a robust policy framework that spans from electrifying our busses to refurbishing our city owned buildings to be net-zero and everything in between, we can create good paying jobs and make Boston more resilient in real time. The climate crisis is already here, we must meet it with bold political action.

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Visit Carla Monteiro at her website, or social media @CarlaforBoston on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Candidate responses were edited for length and clarity.

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