Humboldt County high per-capita CARE Court referrals; officials tout success, question funding

Humboldt County has sent 55 petitions into California’s Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court system, a per‑capita referral rate Jacob Rosen called “one of the highest referral volumes per capita among counties.” Rosen, identified as Eureka’s managing mental health clinician, told the Eureka City Council on Feb. 17 that the county has recorded one person graduate from CARE Court since the program’s second phase rolled out in December 2024.

CARE Court is a court‑ordered, two‑year community treatment program for people with untreated schizophrenia‑spectrum or other psychotic disorders that aims to connect participants to housing and community‑based services. The statewide rollout began with a first phase in October 2023 and expanded in December 2024, a timeline Rosen and county clinicians cited while describing local adjustments such as adding “psychotic features” to the bipolar disorder eligibility category and streamlining felony diversion pathways.

Local implementation in Eureka stands out in part because the city has a dedicated mental health clinician position. Rosen and Mayor Kim Bergel were photographed discussing homelessness services at City Hall in 2023, and Rosen said Eureka filed eight of Humboldt’s 55 referrals. At a courthouse conference room meeting that included CARE Court team members Brownfield, Durand, Lampi and Meghan Sheeran, the latter identified as a behavioral health clinician with the county’s Comprehensive Community Treatment program, staff described coordinated handoffs and case management that county leaders credit with producing the lone graduate and maintaining referrals.

Despite those early results, Rosen warned of structural limits tied to enforcement and funding. “Again, we then run into the issue that unless it is a court‑ordered diversion client where CARE Court is part of their diversion, there aren’t any consequences for non‑compliance,” he said, noting that cases can be dropped if people fail to appear. Rosen added that when clients are non‑participatory, “there is a serious evaluation at the behavioral health level around whether that individual does need conservatorship, and many of those cases have been referred to the Public Guardian for conservatorship.”

Statewide context underscores Humboldt’s outlier status. State Judicial Branch totals show fewer than 4,000 CARE Court petitions submitted since October 2023, and officials acknowledge many counties have not met rollout expectations. A CARE Court participant in a courthouse discussion described the program’s potential: “A lot of people don’t know that they have the ability to do better until they’re forced into a situation where they actually see themselves begin to make accomplishments.”

Local leaders say funding remains unresolved even as Humboldt expands referrals. County officials and Rosen said they are meeting with state courts and behavioral health departments to press for clearer enforcement mechanisms and resources. “We’re all able to do some great advocacy with the state on what changes might be beneficial and how CARE Court is operating and implemented now, but also what might make it work better,” Rosen said, framing the next phase of Humboldt’s effort as one of securing money and policy changes to turn high referral rates into sustained treatment outcomes.