Mónica Gutiérrez

My research explores how policies shape who gets to stay in a neighborhood and who gets pushed out, especially in Latino communities. By utilizing innovative methods—such as oral histories, community mapping, critical ethnography, and policy analysis—I collaborate closely with communities to gain deeper insights into their stories and struggles. This work informs social work practice by identifying culturally responsive approaches to supporting communities, influencing policy, and fostering more inclusive and equitable spaces. Ultimately, my goal is to equip social workers with practical, community-centered tools for fostering stronger partnerships between communities and institutions and contributing to a more just and equitable society.

Current Projects:
Process and Outcome Evaluation Project for Casa Promotores Amplificando La Sabidura (Casa PALS)
[PI: Mónica Gutiérrez] $300,000 (evaluation subcontract award)
Dr. Mónica Gutiérrez is the principal investigator of a process and outcome evaluation subcontract funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, through a partnership with Casa Esperanza in Boston, Massachusetts. The evaluated program, Promotores Amplificando La Sabiduría (PALS), is an initiative by Casa Esperanza led by Principal Investigator Diliana DeJesus. PALS focuses on two key Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Healthcare Access and Quality, and Social and Community Context. It highlights Leading Health Indicators like Drug Overdose Deaths and Suicide. PALS employs a novel, collaborative Promotores Model that incorporates culturally and linguistically tailored Community Health Workers within a trauma-informed care continuum, offering extensive support to Latines facing mental health and substance use challenges. PALS aims to advance health equity, empower communities, and enhance health outcomes by addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by Latines through a culturally competent and community-driven Promotores program.

As PI on the PALS evaluation project, I extend my research on place, structural belonging, and Latine health equity by evaluating how a culturally grounded Promotores model reorganizes access to care. Using community-engaged qualitative methods and equity-focused evaluation, I link process changes (language access, role design, navigation) to outcomes on overdose and suicide, informing policy and workforce design for Promotores/Community Health Workers.

Safety Beyond Surveillance: Evaluating the Role of SROs in Fostering Safe Learning Environments
[PI: Mónica Gutiérrez] $48,000 DU (internal PROF Grant)
Safety Beyond Surveillance examines how School Resource Officers (SROs) affect Black and Latina/o/x high school students' sense of place-based belonging within Denver Public Schools.

This work extends my theoretical framework that racialized communities experience displacement without physical relocation, showing how institutional practices like school discipline create patterns of psychological and social displacement parallel to gentrification-induced physical displacement.