Newsom's 'CARE Court' Aimed At Getting Help to Mentally-Ill Homeless People

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Gov. Gavin Newsom's new "CARE Court" program aimed at getting homeless people off the streets and into mental health programs has some homeless advocates raving while others claim it will police the unhoused even more.

"Rather than reforming, in the margins, a system that is fundamentally broken, we're taking a new approach," said Newsom during a press conference in San Jose.

Newsom's new court-ordered care plan would force severely mentally ill individuals into treatment for 12-24 months. Under the plan, a judge would order a care plan for a person then a clinical team would create a plan with input from the patient and their supporter.

"I fully support that because it changed my life," said Jodi Cobb, who was once homeless.

Cobb said that while she was able to beat her addiction to crack and methamphetamine by putting herself through years of treatment, she knows that many others are not able to make the same, tough decision. President and CEO of Union Rescue Mission Andy Bales said that it's hard to encourage people to get help if they are a harm to themselves, especially since there are no ways to require them to get help. Bales, a homeless advocate, also supports the new program because it will help get severely mentally ill and violent individuals off the street.

"Unfortunately, we have innocent parties like a lovely nurse who was on the edge of retirement, hit in the head and killed," Bales said. "A young lady in a furniture store killed by people who have been left on the streets for too long, and now has mental health issues."

However, other advocates like attorney and organizer Ricci Sergienko said that this program will only further criminalize the unhoused.

"There's also a level of criminalization with the Governor's plan," he said. Just like his other solutions, it seems like he wants to reinvest in the carceral state an in punitive solutions."

Supporters like Bales said that measures like these are desperately needed.

"Our jail, unfortunately. is the biggest mental health asylum, besides Skid Row," he said.

Newsom's proposal will require a legislative agreement to be implemented.