Most people who start the CARE Court process are not homeless

In the 21 counties whose behavioral health departments provided data, 31% of the 2,362 petitions filed were for people who were homeless.

Notes: CalMatters requested housing information from the 25 largest counties and the ones that first launched the program. Counties may define homelessness differently. Sometimes multiple petitions may be filed for the same person.
Chart: Erica Yee, CalMattersSource: Data from county behavioral health agencies, received from Aug 6 to Dec 16, 2025. See full methodology.