Adult mental health residential in California
Months, not days: residential care for adults.
California certifies four kinds of longer residential care for adults, from open houses built for 3–12 months to locked rehabilitation centers. Every one is here, with what sets them apart.
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- Transitional
- Open houses. 3–12 months, up to 18.
- Long-term
- Open, more support. Up to 18 months.
- Locked
- Rehabilitation centers and nursing-facility programs, usually arranged by a county.
- Who pays
- Mostly Medi-Cal through the county. Some long-term programs are private.
Getting in
What to know before you call.
How to get in
- Call the county behavioral health access line where the person lives and ask for an assessment for adult residential treatment. County access lines.
- From a hospital, ask the discharge social worker to refer.
- Private long-term programs take direct calls; ask how they bill.
Questions to ask
- What is the typical stay, and what decides it?
- Who are the other residents, by age and need?
- How do you handle a crisis during the stay?
- What comes after: housing, work, outpatient care?
Need 9–12 months, privately?
Few California programs offer it. The long-term directory compares the closest options here and across the West, including for depression, BPD, trauma and autism.
The directory
Every adult mental health residential program in California.
Bonita House, Inc
Crestwood Behavioral Health
Telecare Corporation
The Resource Environment for Underprivilege Group
Telecare Corporation
National Psychiatric Care and Rehab Services Inc
National Psychiatric Care & Rehab Services
Telecare Corporation
Telecare Corporation
Willow Glen Care Center
GHC of Contra Costa, LLC
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
GHC of Walnut Creek, LLC
Compassion Pathway Behavioral Health, LLC
CA YA Services LLC
CA YA Services LLC
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
GHC of Fresno, LLC
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Telecare Corporation
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc.
A Brighter Day Recuperative Care LLC
A Brighter Day Recuperative Care LLC
Beverly Hills Home, Inc.
The numbers · state data as of 1 October 2026
Where the beds are.
- Orange County: 55 programs
- Los Angeles County: 50 programs
- San Diego County: 26 programs
- San Francisco County: 17 programs
- Riverside County: 16 programs
- San Bernardino County: 15 programs
- Ventura County: 13 programs
- Alameda County: 10 programs
- Sacramento County: 9 programs
- San Mateo County: 6 programs
| Kind | Programs | Beds listed |
|---|---|---|
| Transitional residential | 123 | 1,041 |
| Long-term residential | 40 | 315 |
| Licensed mental health house, no DHCS certification found | 33 | 273 |
| Adult residential facility with a mental health program | 4 | 252 |
| Mental health rehabilitation center | 45 | 2,636 |
| Special treatment program | 36 | 2,869 |
24 of 58 counties have none. In the directory above, tick “Include neighboring counties” to see what is nearby.
Questions people ask
Adult mental health residential, answered.
What is the difference between transitional and long-term residential?
Transitional houses are built for stays of 3–12 months and focus on skills for living more independently. Long-term programs offer more support and stays of up to 18 months.
Are these programs locked?
Transitional and long-term houses are open. Mental health rehabilitation centers and special treatment programs in nursing facilities are locked, and a county usually arranges placement.
How do I get a bed?
Call the county behavioral health access line where the person lives and ask for an assessment for adult residential treatment. Hospitals can also refer at discharge.
Is there private residential care for 9–12 months in California?
Very little. Most long stays here are county programs reached through Medi-Cal. Our long-term directory compares the private options that come closest, in California and across the West.
Does private insurance cover residential mental health care?
California's SB 855 requires state-regulated commercial plans to cover medically necessary treatment for every DSM and ICD mental health condition, judged by nonprofit clinical criteria. If a plan refuses, you can appeal and then request an Independent Medical Review.
Also on this site
Related kinds of care.
Crisis residential
A few weeks in a house, instead of a hospital.
Open 80Psychiatric hospitals
Short, locked, 24-hour acute care.
Open 1,115Substance use residential
Every residential and detox program the state licenses.
Open 2,259All residential care
Every type, every county, with a map and search.
OpenResidential care ends. Someone still has to be there every week.
The TherapyCalifornia directory is not open yet. We are recruiting therapists and will publish a profile only after its openings, prices, insurance details and licence can be checked. Availability will be reconfirmed every month, and nobody will be able to pay for a higher place.
See the directory promise →Where every row comes from.
State records
- DHCS certified residential mental health programs, FY 2025–26 Q4
- CDSS community care licensing file, May 2025 (latest posted)
- DHCS MHRC and PHF licensing list, September 2026
How crisis, transitional and long-term are told apart. The DHCS list labels all three as social rehabilitation programs. We group them by the type letter in each certificate number: S for short-term crisis, T for transitional, L for long-term. DHCS does not publish this key; we checked it against programs whose own descriptions are known. Treat the grouping as our reading of the file, not a state label.
Mental health houses without a DHCS row. 33 houses hold a Social Services social rehabilitation licence that we could not match to a DHCS certification, by name and city. Their programme type is not stated in either file.
What a row can prove. That the state listed a named program, its operator, city and capacity in a dated file. It cannot prove quality, safety, fit, payment, admission or an open bed. Inclusion is computed from those files and is never purchased.
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Review hold. Clinical review and California access and legal review are pending. No review badge is claimed.