County Accelerates CARE Court Implementation to Support Californians with Untreated Severe Mental Illness

SACRAMENTO – Los Angeles County Jan. 13 moved to accelerate its implementation of CARE Court, the state’s new framework to deliver mental health and substance use disorder services to Californians suffering from severe mental health disorders. The county is working to implement the CARE Act by Dec. 1, 2023, one year ahead of schedule.

Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous, will join the original seven counties committed to implementing CARE Court in 2023: the counties of Glenn, San Diego, San Francisco, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Orange and Riverside.

The announcement comes just days after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to declare a local emergency for homelessness, clearing the way for an expedited and regional response to the crisis.

The Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment or CARE Act, authored by Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), received bipartisan and near-unanimous approval in both the state Senate and Assembly. CARE Court will be implemented statewide in a phased approach.

The housing and services for CARE Court clients is supported by funding under the state’s $15.3 billion investment in addressing homelessness, including $1.5 billion for behavioral bridge housing; more than $11 billion annually for mental health programs throughout California; and more than $1.4 billion for our health and human services workforce. 

In addition, the Governor’s budget includes an additional $215 million at full implementation to support counties, courts and legal services. 

In Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health will oversee and coordinate the implementation of CARE Court.

Details: https://www.chhs.ca.gov/care-court/