Connecting Systems. Centering People. Creating Pathways out of Homelessness.
Frequent Users System Engagement (FUSE) Greater Portland is a cross-sector collaborative serving Cumberland and York counties. Since launching in Portland in April 2015, FUSE has brought together housing providers, outreach teams, shelters, healthcare partners, behavioral health providers, corrections, and other community organizations to coordinate housing stability solutions for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness and those with the most complex and acute needs.
Using a by-name, data-informed approach, FUSE helps partners coordinate resources, remove barriers, and develop individualized strategies that improve housing stability while reducing reliance on costly emergency systems. More than 20 organizations have collaborated through this effort for over a decade, resulting in more than 538 people housed and an average housing retention rate of 90 percent since the initiative began.
FUSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
A core group of partners meets biweekly to focus on a small group of individuals with the most complex and acute needs, using a by-name approach to coordinate individualized housing stability strategies. Participants share updates, identify barriers, align responsibilities, and develop action plans that leverage each organization's expertise and resources. This collaborative problem-solving approach strengthens coordination across systems, promotes shared accountability, and helps improve long-term housing stability while reducing reliance on emergency systems.
IMPACT OF THE FUSE APPROACH
FUSE data illustrates the impact of coordinated, cross-system collaboration
The data below illustrate the impact of coordinated, cross-system collaboration to improve housing stability for individuals with the most complex and acute need.
These findings come directly from FUSE Greater Portland's by-name list – a shared, real-time tool used by housing, healthcare, behavioral health, and justice system partners to coordinate strategies and track outcomes. The initiative compares jail and hospital utilization when individuals are unhoused versus housed, and the differences are striking.
By aligning efforts across organizations and developing coordinated, individualized action plans, FUSE helps people achieve and maintain housing stability while reducing reliance on costly emergency systems. The results demonstrate both the effectiveness of this collaborative approach and the significant human and system costs when people remain unhoused.
PEOPLE HOUSED THROUGH THE FUSE INITIATIVE
TO DATE
SUCCESS RATE IN HOUSING THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE SINCE IT BEGAN
MORE LIKELY TO BE
IN JAIL WHEN
UNHOUSED
VS HOUSED
MORE LIKELY TO BE
IN THE HOSPITAL WHEN UNHOUSED
VS HOUSED
AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH
Housing stability, combined with services matched to individual need, improves outcomes and reduces reliance on emergency systems.
FUSE Greater Portland's data demonstrate that individuals experiencing homelessness are up to 29 times more likely to be hospitalized and 57 times more likely to be incarcerated than when they are housed. Across four years of data, individuals who were housed rarely experienced jail involvement, while at least one in ten individuals who were unhoused consistently cycled through incarceration. Jail stays cost roughly four times more than housing, and hospitalizations cost nearly 28 times more.
The evidence is clear: housing stability, supported by coordinated partnerships and services tailored to individual need, leads to better outcomes while dramatically reducing reliance on costly emergency systems. Safe, stable housing provides the foundation for improved health, stronger community connections, and long-term stability. Through coordinated, cross-system collaboration, FUSE works to help each individual achieve and maintain that stability.
GET INVOLVED WITH FUSE!
FUSE Committee | c/o Vickey Merrill, Community Housing of Maine (CHOM) | vickey@chomhousing.org