1. Attachment 3
Frequent Users of Jail and Shelter (FUSE Initiative) Briefing
December 2007
Project Description
The FUSE Project will place frequent users of shelter, jail, and ACF in permanent supportive housing throughout
Hennepin County in an effort to reduce the number of frequent users within shelter and corrections systems. The
project will utilize a combination of MHFA housing subsidies and Housing First GRH (Group Residential Housing) to house
participants. The target population as identified by Hennepin County is those who:
• are long-term homeless, as defined by the state of Minnesota;
• have been booked into the jail or ACF four times in the last five years, with a 2007 booking, have more than 4
stays in five years in Harbor Light or Secure Waiting, with a 2007 admit; and
• are currently on probation.
Project Staff
The FUSE Project staff will be three housing specialists, one probation officer, and will be overseen by St. Stephen’s
Human Services’ Director of Long-Term Homeless Programs. The Housing Specialists will coordinate support services
and assist participants with obtaining and maintaining housing. The Housing Specialists who will implement in-reach
strategies inside the jail, ACF, and the shelters in an effort to move participants directly into housing upon their release
from a facility or from Mental Health Court. A Hennepin County Probation Officer will be dedicated to this project. The
coordination of the correctional specialist with the housing specialists will provide seamless service coordination and
delivery. Having a dedicated probation officer will result in the development of expertise in working with the target
population.
Office space
The three housing specialists and the probation officer will share two offices in at 1800 Chicago. Hennepin County will
provide the office space free of charge to the team and will provide equipment and supplies for the probation officer.
St. Stephen’s Human Services will provide equipment and supplies for the three housing specialists.
Budget and Sustainability
Ultimately, this will be a sustainable project, with primary funding coming through Minnesota GRH (Group Residential
Housing). GRH provides a monthly client room and board payment is $757 and a service payment to support the housing
specialists and probation officer of $487.13. We anticipate serving 50 FUSE clients through this program. That would
result in capturing $454,200 in room and board payments and $292,278 in payments to provide the scatter site support.
Thus far, the project has received a startup grant totaling $112,500 from the Corporation for Supportive Housing.
$102,500 will provide startup funding for three housing specialists and a probation officer/correctional specialist.
$10,000 will be used to evaluation of the project. We are also applying for a $28,543 portion of a reentry grant received
earlier by Hennepin DOCC (Department of Community Corrections) The startup money will be used to sustain the
program until the clients are housed and the project begins to receive funding through GRH.
Annual costs for three full-time housing specialists will be approximately $150,000 per year. The cost of a full-time
probation officer is approximately $65,000 per year. Including overhead, the FUSE program can be maintained with the
GRH support payments, if 50 clients are maintained in housing.
Characteristics of the Target Client Population
Per a sample data pull of the target population in early 2007 (the “266 Report”)
• 92 percent (245) are male and 8 percent (21) are female
• The average age of this group is 41.
• 26.3 percent reported that they were homeless at their last jail booking (self-reported address).
• 96 percent received eligibility supports (GA, GRH, etc.) and 77 percent have been referred for behavior health
services.
• 81 percent (215) are black, 16.5 percent (44) are white, six are Indian and one person is Asian.

2. • The average person had 1.6 felony, 1 gross misdemeanor and 6.8 misdemeanor convictions on their criminal
history.
• As a group, these persons have 430 felony convictions, 263 gross misdemeanor convictions, and 1,804
misdemeanor convictions on their criminal histories.
• The average person has 5.9 failures to appear (to a court appearance) on their criminal history, with a total of
1,536 failure to appear for all persons.
• The majority of this group had a criminal history that included property and low-level crime. 18.4 percent had
been convicted of a violent felony such as murder, rape, robbery or aggravated assault. 4.9 percent (part of the
18.4 percent) had a felony sex conviction.
• 64 percent of persons were on probation for a felony case, 24 percent on a misdemeanor case, and 12 percent
on a gross misdemeanor case.
• Between 2002-2006, each person on average:
o Spent 108 days in shelter, 69.6 days in the jail and 99.5 days in the ACF.
o Had 79 shelter admits, 11.8 Jail bookings and 2.6 ACF bookings.
• These stays in Hennepin County funded facilities for the 266 cost minimally $4.2 million dollars between
2002-2006.
Data Collection
Extensive data will be collected on each participant following their signing a release of information form. This data could
include length of homelessness, foster care/homelessness when a child, chemical use, mental health, physical health,
income, family status, number and type of contacts with housing specialists. During the evaluation, additional
information will be garnered through Hennepin County including: shelter entrances and stays, number of days in
jail/ACF, and number of police contacts and arrests prior, and subsequent, to housing placement.
St. Stephens will consult with the New York FUSE initiative evaluators, replicating their earlier evaluation as much as
possible.
Outcomes
The FUSE Project will improve the overall housing stability and recidivism rate of its participants.
• The number of clients in the program will be staged as such during the pilot program:
o By March 2007, a dozen clients will be contacted and three will be housed.
o By December 2007, a minimum of 20 clients will be housed.
o By the end of the pilot period – December 2009 – 50 frequent users of shelter and jail will be housed.
• For participants placed into housing, there will be a reduction in police contacts and arrests, a reduction in the
number of days spent in the jail and ACF, a reduction in the number of nights spent in emergency shelter and a
reduction in probation revocations.
• Housing outcomes for the participants enrolled in the FUSE Initiative are:
o 85% will remain housed after 6 months
o 90% will avoid shelter use after housing placement
o 80% will avoid a return to jail/ACF after housing placement