What you need to know: CARE Court, a first-in-the-nation approach to empower individuals suffering from untreated or undertreated schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders to get the treatment and housing they need to recover and thrive, is now open in every county in the state, building on early successes of the program.

Sacramento, California - 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 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

Recent successes from the field

In August, the first CARE Court graduation occurred in San Diego County. A video of the graduation ceremony is available HERE. A recent news article provides additional information about the impact of CARE implementation in San Diego County – see “Scores turn to new court to help San Diegans struggling with severe mental health issues.”

Support from California’s leaders

CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson: “As of today, all 58 counties are offering this new pathway to safety and wellbeing 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.”

Patricia Lock Dawson, City of Riverside Mayor and Chair of Big City Mayors: “With the implementation of CARE Court expanding statewide, all cities have a new tool to provide support for our most vulnerable residents experiencing severe mental health illnesses, many of whom often suffer on our streets. As leaders at the local level, the Big City Mayors of California are at the frontlines of this crisis and we are acting with urgency utilizing solutions such as CARE Court to provide a critical pathway towards treatment, housing and long-term recovery.”

Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento: “The State CARE court system provides counties and cities with a crucial legal tool. We must use this tool to intensify our efforts, ensuring that more vulnerable individuals receive the mental and behavioral health care, housing, and supportive services they desperately need.”

Early results

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. Over 1,400 people have been connected to CARE Courts or to county services directly, based on preliminary data.

How we got here

CARE Court is a first-in-the-nation approach to create 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 are able to 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 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. 

Statewide efforts to transform behavioral health

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. More information on the latest results can be found at mentalhealth.ca.gov.