Connecting Systems. Centering People. Creating Pathways out of Homelessness.
Frequent Users System Engagement (FUSE) Greater Portland was a cross-sector collaborative serving Cumberland and York counties from 2015-2026. Launched in Portland in April 2015, FUSE 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 helped partners coordinate resources, remove barriers, and develop individualized housing strategies. Over its 11½-year history, more than 20 organizations collaborated through the initiative, contributing to more than 538 people being housed and an average housing retention rate of 90 percent. Data collected throughout the initiative also highlighted the relationship between housing stability and reduced involvement with emergency systems.
While the formal initiative concluded in Fall 2026, its legacy continues through the partnerships, coordinated practices, and data-informed approaches that now form the foundation of Greater Portland's homelessness response system..
THE FUSE MODEL
For more than a decade, FUSE demonstrated the power of coordinated, cross-system collaboration to address chronic homelessness.
Partners met regularly to focus on individuals experiencing the most significant barriers to housing stability. Using a by-name approach, participants identified barriers, aligned resources, and developed individualized housing strategies.
This collaborative model strengthened coordination across housing, healthcare, behavioral health, shelter, outreach, and criminal justice systems while promoting shared accountability and more effective responses to chronic homelessness. Today, many of the practices advanced through FUSE continue through Coordinated Entry, by-name list management, and cross-system case conferencing efforts.
IMPACT OF THE FUSE APPROACH
More than a decade of data illustrating the impact of coordinated, cross-system collaboration
The information below reflects outcomes observed through FUSE Greater Portland's by-name, cross-system approach and illustrates the relationship between housing stability and reduced involvement with emergency systems among individuals experiencing homelessness and complex service needs.
Drawing on data collected throughout the initiative's history, FUSE examined differences in jail and hospital utilization when people were unhoused compared to when they were housed. The patterns observed over time highlighted the significant human and system impacts associated with housing instability and underscored the value of organizations working together toward shared housing goals.
By aligning efforts across organizations and developing individualized housing strategies, FUSE helped people achieve and maintain housing stability while supporting reductions in reliance on costly emergency systems. These outcomes contribute to a growing body of evidence supporting collaborative, housing-focused approaches to addressing chronic homelessness.
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
Methodology notes: The 90% housing retention rate reflects housing outcomes tracked through the FUSE initiative from 2015-2026 using housing status information reported by participating organizations. The figure is intended to measure housing stability among individuals housed through the collaborative and is based on programmatic data collected for coordination and evaluation purposes rather than a formal research study. Jail and hospital utilization comparisons reflect average findings across 60 months of FUSE by-name list data. Results are based on internal point-in-time analyses of available data and are intended to illustrate observed trends rather than establish causal relationships or serve as definitive research findings.
AN EVIDENCE-BASED LEGACY
Housing stability, combined with tailored services and coordinated partnerships, produces better outcomes.
Throughout its history, FUSE data consistently demonstrated that individuals experiencing homelessness were significantly more likely to experience hospitalization and incarceration than when they were housed. Across 60 months of data collection, individuals who achieved housing stability experienced substantially lower involvement with emergency systems while demonstrating improved long-term housing outcomes.
Beyond individual outcomes, FUSE helped local providers, healthcare systems, emergency responders, corrections partners, and housing organizations better understand the complex intersections between homelessness, health, and public systems. By bringing partners together around shared data and coordinated problem-solving, the initiative strengthened the community's ability to identify barriers, prioritize resources, and respond more effectively to chronic homelessness.
The trends observed through FUSE reinforced what housing and homelessness practitioners have long understood: stable housing provides a critical foundation for improved health, stronger community connections, and long-term well-being. The initiative helped build local evidence supporting supportive housing and demonstrated the value of coordinated, cross-system partnerships in helping people achieve and maintain stability.
Today, the lessons, relationships, and collaborative practices cultivated through FUSE continue through Coordinated Entry, by-name list management, case conferencing, supportive housing programs, and other community-based efforts working to end chronic homelessness. While the initiative itself has concluded, its impact continues to shape how Greater Portland partners work together to promote housing stability and improve outcomes for some of the community's most vulnerable residents.
FUSE Greater Portland Archive & Historical Information
Contact: Vickey Merrill, Community Housing of Maine (CHOM) | vickey@chomhousing.org