Will ‘CARE Court’ Help People Dealing with Mental Illness and Homelessness?

California’s mental health care system is a mess. And at the same time, unsheltered homelessness is increasing and voters want their leaders to do something about it.

Those are some of the reasons why Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal called the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court — or CARE Court. The idea is to provide a coordinated mental health treatment plan for a patient, under the supervision of a judge.

But there’s also a catch: if the patient refuses that treatment, that could also be used as grounds for conservatorship, where the judge appoints someone to manage a patient’s care and finances. That has created big concerns among civil liberties and mental health advocates, who worry that this new court system could cause even more problems in a system rife with racial disparities.

Guest: Erin Baldassari, KQED housing affordability reporter

This episode was edited and produced by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices