By SDCN Editor
Sacramento, CA–The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court program is now open in every county across California to help the most seriously ill people with untreated or undertreated schizophrenia get life-saving treatment and housing they need to stabilize, recover, and thrive.
CARE Court was rolled out statewide through a phased-in approach that began last October. The first locations to open CARE Court launched in October 2023 and included the counties of Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Stanislaus, Glenn, and Tuolumne, with Los Angeles opening in December 2023, San Mateo in July 2024, and Kern in October 2024.
“Finding treatment, housing, and support for Californians with the most serious mental illness has been a top priority of my administration and I’m proud to see early achievements from this innovative new model. With every county’s CARE Court program now up and running, I am eager to see even more successes for our most seriously ill Californians, and continued progress in our state’s behavioral health transformation for all Californians,” Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a news release.
On August 7, the first CARE Court graduation occurred in San Diego. The CARE Act gives individuals the opportunity to participate in creating their CARE agreement for mental health and housing support. Eligible adults are persons with untreated schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders.
Families, clinicians, first responders, and others can file a petition with the civil court to connect people, 18 years and older, to court-ordered voluntary treatment if they meet criteria related to health and safety.
The CARE Act process is based on collaboration and promotes a person-centered process. The County implemented the CARE Act on October 1, 2023, and recently enrolled its 50th person in the program which is more than all the other participating California counties combined.
“As of today, all 58 counties are offering this new pathway to safety and well-being for Californians with some of the most complex behavioral health needs. The CARE Act builds relationships and trust between individuals who need more care and the people who seek to get them that care including families, outreach and behavioral health professionals, hospitals, first responders, public defenders, and legal services attorneys. CARE also includes a special civil court that protects their rights and focuses on progress toward recovery,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson.
Initial results from CARE Court’s early implementation demonstrate the program is making a significant impact by addressing some of the most serious cases of mental health crises on California’s streets. In the nine counties where CARE Court has already opened, the program is providing hundreds of people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with crucial treatment and housing plans. This progress reflects a meaningful shift in helping the state’s most vulnerable populations towards long-term recovery and housing stability, showing CARE Court’s ability to reduce the need for crisis services and create a path to lasting wellness. Based on preliminary data, over 1,400 people have been connected to CARE Courts or county services.
CARE Court is a first-in-the-nation approach to creating accountability for connecting individuals at the greatest vulnerability to hospitalization, incarceration, and homelessness to the treatment and housing they need. Under CARE Court, families, first responders, health care providers, and others can take action and file a petition with their local CARE Court to help people with under or untreated schizophrenia spectrum or psychotic disorders get treatment and housing.
CARE Court’s path to recovery is bolstered by the state’s $15.3 billion in funding to tackle homelessness and $11.6 billion annually in behavioral health services.
In September, Governor Newsom signed SB 42 by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) to streamline county and court implementation of the CARE Act through the improvement of the petition process, facilitate communication between petitioners, respondents, judges, and county behavioral health departments, and strengthening of CARE as a means to ensure participants’ long-term stabilization.
California is transforming our entire behavioral health care system. The result: more and better mental health and substance use disorder care for all Californians. In March 2024, voters passed Proposition 1, which includes two parts: a $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond to build treatment settings and housing with services, and a historic reform of the Mental Health Services Act to focus on people with the most serious illnesses, substance disorders, and supportive housing needs. Prop 1 is being implemented across the state at record speed.
