When a homeless person impacted by mental illness or substance abuse is brought before a CARE Court judge in Los Angeles County later this year, the new Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment program aims to send the homeless person to a treatment facility.
It is hoped that the state-ordered program starting Dec. 1 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Norwalk will provide life-saving help to those in need, such as unhoused individuals on the schizophrenia spectrum, or those addicted to the highly dangerous drug, fentanyl.
But there’s one problem: CARE Courts won’t work without enough beds and behavioral staff to provide the care, the weakest link in ramping up the program later this year.
Last week, the county received $321 million in state funding for the next four years to build and staff residential treatment homes for those ordered into treatment by a judge, creating a wave of optimism from elected county officials and public health administrators who are up against a tight deadline.
“We will be able to provide 1,600 mental health and substance abuse beds,” said Fourth District County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “This is so critical and one of the most pressing needs for people without homes.”
Called “bridge housing,” the facilities will provide residential care for several months or up to a year. Some will get medication and others will get treatment for mental illness, while others may be placed in sober housing to ensure sobriety. But no individuals will be forced to take their medications.
Starting in December, behavioral health providers, emergency responders and family members can petition a judge in the county’s CARE Court to hear the case of an individual impacted by mental illness. The judge will come up with a treatment plan for that person, which may include housing resources and/or substance-use treatment and mental health care. The county is then required to provide that help.
It won’t be an easy task to…
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