Blogs

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How L.A. County Made Collecting Child Support Less Punitive

This FUSE-produced story was originally published on Next City. Last year, Los Angeles County collected half a billion dollars in child-support payments on behalf of local families, many of whom rely on that money to make ends meet. But collection, especially at that scale, is not easy. In California, child-support payments go through an entity called … Continued

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Here’s How Long Beach Is Working to Ensure Every Resident Is Counted in the 2020 Census

This FUSE-produced story was originally published on NationSwell. As the 2020 census approaches, Long Beach, Calif., is preparing for a complicated counting process: a first-ever online questionnaire, an already contentious political environment, and a pending question about citizenship that could adversely impact participation from immigrants and undocumented people, groups who historically are already less responsive. … Continued

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How Innovative Government Agencies Use Data to Better Serve Their Communities

FUSE is working on more than 50 projects this year across the country. The following three projects illustrate how the smart use of data can improve government operations and enhance services to better serve communities. San Francisco identified a need to better serve those who rely on urgent and emergent services across the medical and … Continued

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St. Louis Tackles Pretrial Reform

This FUSE-produced story was originally published on Next City. On any given day in St. Louis, the jails house more than 1,000 inmates, many of whom are unable to afford the cash bail that would allow them to be released until their trial date. Black residents are detained three times as often as white residents … Continued

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Accelerator Funds for Affordable Housing? San Francisco’s Creative Approach

This FUSE-produced story was originally published on Route Fifty. For nearly three decades, Rodolfo Sorto Aldana and Karen Sorto have lived in the same six-unit walk-up in San Francisco’s Mission District. Karen, who is from El Salvador, had traveled northward as a teenager to study in the U.S. Rodolfo followed soon after, and the two were … Continued

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Beyond Shelter: San Francisco’s Holistic Approach to Caring for the Homeless

Dr. Barry Zevin has been working with people who are homeless for the better part of three decades. As the medical director for Street Medicine and Shelter Health Center in San Francisco, he knows well the extraordinary level of care and attention some of those experiencing homelessness need. Zevin’s outreach team recently encountered a 40-year … Continued

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Avoiding Gentrification, How to Use Opportunity Zones to Benefit Communities

Oakland, California, perched across the bay from sterling San Francisco, is an urban bellwether for America’s roller coaster economy. Home to a vibrant, diverse community of people of all different colors and classes, the city has lived through the boom and bust cycles throughout the decades, from the postwar heyday to the steep heights and sharp … Continued