On June 27, DHCS posted the new Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act Annual Report, detailing the program’s early progress in connecting Californians with serious mental illness to treatment, housing, and hope. CARE is a new civil court process designed for people with untreated or undertreated schizophrenia who are at the highest risk of hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration. The model is voluntary, trust-based, and person-centered, offering an alternative to conservatorship or incarceration by surrounding participants with a team focused on stability, dignity, and long-term recovery.
The report is accompanied by an Implementation Update and new videos from the California Health and Human Services Agency. The videos share how CARE is making a difference by providing wraparound services, focusing on the dignity and personal goals of the people served. Statewide data through May 2025 shows that since the CARE Act launched, more than 3,300 individuals have been engaged statewide through petitions or outreach-based diversions. From December 1, 2024, (when all 58 counties went live with CARE) to May 31, 2025, 1,063 petitions were filed, more total petitions than had been filed in the previous 14 months.