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Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced CARE Court in 2022 in part as a way to get people with serious mental illnesses off California’s streets. But state and county data, as well as interviews with service providers, CARE Court participants and their family members, highlight the ways in which the program is fighting to help homeless Californians.
More than two years after CARE Court first launched, most people entering the program are not homeless, but those who are the homeless don’t always get what they need most: housing.
Jennifer Farrell had high hopes when she filed a petition in Alameda County CARE Court on behalf of her brother, who struggles with schizophrenia and methamphetamine use. But despite the program’s efforts, he ended up on the street again, and then in the hospital.
- Farrell: “It’s coming up to a year (since he enrolled in CARE Court). And we’re nowhere … we’re probably in the same place we were when I filed. And maybe even worse off.”
To assess how CARE Court is helping homeless Californians, CalMatters asked for input from California’s 25 largest counties, as well as all those that first started the program. Of the 2,362 CARE Court petitions filed in the 21 counties that provided data, less than a third were for people who were homeless.
When asked how many people have been placed through CARE Court, even the most successful counties report only a few dozen.
To read CalMatters’ investigation into how the CARE Court has performed so far in helping homeless Californians by Marissa Kendall, click here.
To meet Californians who have experienced CARE Court firsthand, click here. And to learn how you can use CARE Court, click here.
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Other stories you should know
Is home ownership overrated?
Buying a home has long been seen in America as a mark of adulthood and a surefire way to ensure intergenerational wealth. But since housing prices in California are so high, it is home ownership the smartest financial move?
As CalMatters’ Ben Christopher explains, although it depends largely on each person’s personal finances, the gap between the benefits of owning and renting in California is not as great as it once was.
The average price of a detached single-family home in California is over $852,000, reaching over $1 million in some regions. That translates to about $6,000 a month, which far exceeds the monthly rent for a typical apartment.
Many Californians rent not by choice, but because they can’t afford a house. But certain conditions specific to the state — such as high home insurance costs and strong renter protections for renters — make the case that renting may be a better financial choice than it has been in years past.
- Daryl FairweatherRedfin economist: “More people are becoming interested in renting and saving at the same time because they’ve been pushed out of home ownership, but they still want to meet their financial goals and are looking at these alternatives and becoming more savvy about it.”
The minimum wage will increase in 2026
Starting January 1st, minimum wage workers in California will see theirs hourly wage increase to $16.90 — an increase of 40 cents an hour. The pay increase is part of the annual review of the minimum wage, as required by state law, CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich writes.
Some California workers will see a little more than that, though. Cities and counties can set their own minimum wages, and West Hollywood will have the highest minimum wage of any city in California at $20.25 starting in January. Health workers who successfully pushed for legislation in 2023 to raise their pay are about to too make $25 an hour by 2027.
In May, labor organizers for Los Angeles hotel and airport workers secured an increase in the city’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2028, the year the city will host the Olympics. But the move continues to face strong opposition from large employers and businesses. This month, the president of the Los Angeles City Council proposed delaying wage increases until 2030.
Finally: What’s Next for Medi-Cal?
Millions of people are expected to lose Medicaid coverage due to federal cuts and new policies from President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget bill.
In the face of this potential, a group of health foundations formed the Commission on the Future of Medi-Cal to protect health care for 14 million low-income Californians. Read more by Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters, who spoke with Dr. Mark Galli, co-chair of the committee and former secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: There are so many Democrats running for governor of California in 2026 that it’s theoretically possible, though very unlikely, that for a Republican to win office.
Policymakers should focus on securing funding at the state level help launch more PACE programs that provide medical and social services that allow older Californians to age safely in their own homes, writes Dr. Janice Grandya primary care physician working in geriatrics.
Other things worth your time:
The federal watchdog will investigate Department of Energy vs. Selective Canceled Grants // Los Angeles Times
These hidden rules reveal how CA insurers undermine wildfire claims, leaving families in damaged homes // San Francisco Chronicle
California cities are doubling in size on license plate readers as federal surveillance grows // KQED
A new federal alert warns that 132 California schools and colleges produce “lower incomes” // EdSource
SF Judge Orders Trump Administration to rehire the 675 workers it laid off during the shutdown // San Francisco Chronicle
She was approved for a green card after three decades in the US. Then ICE arrested her // Los Angeles Times
