The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a statement of interest in a federal lawsuit saying the foster care system operated by Los Angeles County and the State of California fails to provide youth with mental health disabilities with enough access to housing, behavioral health, and other services. Instead, it places them in institutions for care.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999) require state and local governments to stop unnecessary segregation of persons with disabilities and to give services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.