GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S NEW PLAN TO GET CALIFORNIANS IN CRISIS
OFF THE STREETS AND INTO HOUSING, TREATMENT, AND CARE
●
Community
Assistance,
Recovery
and
Empowerment
(CARE)
Court
is
a
new
framework
to
get
people with mental health and substance use disorders the support and care they need.● CARE
Court
is
aimed
at
helping
the
thousands
of
Californians
who
are
suffering
from
untreated
mental health and substance use disorders leading to homelessness, incarceration or worse.● California
is
taking
a
new
approach
to
act
early
and
get
people
the
support
they
need
and
address
underlying needs - and we’re going to do it without taking away people’s rights.● CARE
Court
includes
accountability
for
everyone
–
on
the
individual
and
on
local
governments
–
with court orders for services.
HOW CARE COURT WORKS
CARE
Court
connects
a
person
struggling
with
untreated
mental
illness
–
and
often
also
substance
use
challenges
–
with
a
court-ordered
Care
Plan
for
up
to
24 months.
Each
plan
is
managed
by
a
care
team
in
the
community
and
can
include
clinically
prescribed,
individualized
interventions
with
several
supportive
services,
medication,
and
a
housing
plan.
The
client-centered
approach
also
includes
a
public
defender
and
supporter
to help make self-directed care decisions in addition to their full clinical team
CARE
Court
is
designed
on
the
evidence
that
many
people
can
stabilize,
begin
healing,
and
exit
homelessness
in
less
restrictive,
community-based
care
settings.
It's
a
long-term
strategy
to
positively
impact
the
individual
in
care
and
the
community
around
them.
The
plan
focuses
on
people
with
schizophrenia
spectrum
and
other
psychotic
disorders,
who
may
also
have
substance
use
challenges,
and
who
lack
medical
decision-making
capacity and advances an upstream diversion from more restrictive conservatorships or incarceration.
The
court-ordered
response
can
be
initiated
by
family,
county
and
community-based
social
services,
behavioral
health
providers,
or
first
responders.
Individuals
exiting
a
short-term
involuntary
hospital
hold
or
an
arrest
may
be
especially
good
candidates
for
CARE
Court.
The
Care
Plan
can
be
ordered
for
up
to
12 months,
with
periodic
review
hearings
and
subsequent
renewal
for
up
to
another
12 months.
Participants
who
do
not
successfully
complete
Care
Plans
may,
under
current
law,
be
hospitalized
or
referred
to
conservatorship
-
with
a
new presumption that no suitable alternatives to conservatorship are available.
All
counties
across
the
state
will
participate
in
CARE
Court
under
the
proposal.
If
local
governments
do
not
meet
their
specified
duties
under
court-ordered
Care
Plans,
the
court
will
have
the
ability
to
order
sanctions
and, in extreme cases, appoint an agent to ensure services are provided.
CARE
Court
builds
on
Governor
Newsom’s
$14
billion
multi-year
investment
to
provide
55,000
new
housing
units
and
treatment
slots
as
well
as
a
more
than
$10
billion
annual
investment
in
community
behavioral
health
services.
The
Governor’s
comprehensive
approach
combines
a
focus
on
bridge
housing
to
quickly
rehouse
unsheltered
individuals
with
behavioral
health
issues,
all
while
more
new
units
come
online,
while
also
transforming Medi-Cal to provide more behavioral health services to people struggling the most.