Cambridge Community Safety Department Hires New Community Assistance Response and Engagement Team

The City of Cambridge’s Community Safety Department, whose mission is to provide residents with an alternative police response that prioritizes issues of mental and behavioral health in some of the city’s most vulnerable communities, has announced the hiring of an Assistant Director of Clinical Services, and new Community Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) team. These new team members have extensive experience in social work, mental health counseling, developmental psychology, emergency medical services, and other areas.

Marie Mathieu, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) who has spent her 15-year career working in various systems, has been named the Community Safety Department’s Assistant Director of Clinical Services. Prior to joining the Community Safety Department, Marie worked as the first social worker for Cambridge Public Library and also as an advisor at the Boston College School of Social Work. Marie prioritizes person-centered approaches and community partnerships in all her work. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s of social work from Andrews University and enjoys communicating in Haitian-Creole and Spanish.

In her new role as the Assistant Director of Clinical Services, Marie will be responsible for providing clinical and programmatic leadership for the CARE team and will assist in the overall functioning of the Community Safety Department. She will provide clinical supervision to the team of CARE responders.

The CARE team currently includes the following professionals:

Jeffrey Alger grew up in Hopedale, Massachusetts and has been working in the field of public safety for over 16 years, most recently as an EMT in Cambridge. He has also served his community as a firefighter and 911 dispatcher.  

Matthew Gomes is a Cambridge resident, majored in Psychology at Florida State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at U-Mass Boston. Prior to joining the Cambridge Community Safety Department, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Flavell Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, where he looked at serotonin-signaling in nematodes to understand how neural circuits sustain behaviors.

Evie Lueders-Booth grew up in Cambridge and holds a bachelor's degree in Human Services from U-Mass Boston and a master’s degree in Social Work from Simmons College. She has worked at local community schools, Cambridge Youth Programs (CYS), and the Cambridge Mayors Summer Youth Employment Program.

Dimitri Virgile, who grew up in Medford, holds a bachelor's degree from Sacred Heart University and a master’s degree from Quinnipiac University. He started his professional career working as an EMT, where he was promoted to the position of Field Training Officer. 
 
Jade Young was born in Boston and has over a decade of experience working in the field of human services. She has a long track record of working with at-risk youth, the formerly incarcerated, and the unhoused.

Marie and the CARE team members join other newly hired staff at the Community Safety Department, including Director Liz Speakman, LICSW, Program Coordinator Michele Scott, and Administrative Coordinator Kara Blue. They are undergoing extensive training that was developed with input from behavioral health experts in the community. In addition to technical training on critical disciplines like CPR and conflict mediation, the responders will also be equipped with in-depth knowledge around issues such as suicidality, gender violence, homelessness, and boundary setting. Upon the completion of the training, the CARE team will then conduct community outreach and resource support over the winter. They expect to respond to select 9-1-1 calls in Cambridge beginning in March 2024.

For more information about the Community Safety Department, please visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/communitysafety, email info@cambridgesafety.org or call (617) 349-7200.