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
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
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
FUSE worked on the following three projects to help agencies across the country better serve their most vulnerable residents. In Los Angeles County — where more than 17,000 men and women constitute America’s largest jail population — reducing recidivism is paramount. To that end, L.A. County is focusing on helping those newly released from jail … Continued
FUSE fellows are responsible for developing tangible solutions to difficult problems. They have one year to produce transformational change, which is a significant responsibility, but they are not given traditional forms of authority, such as direct reports or budget control. They must quickly build trust-based relationships with numerous stakeholders who might have divergent opinions about … Continued
This story was produced in partnership with Next City. On a sparsely developed corner, on Skid Row in Los Angeles, where tent cities sometimes stretch the length of entire blocks, a line is forming outside a storage facility known as The Bin. At 8 a.m. most mornings, local residents wait outside the building’s entrance to access … Continued
Weathering climate change, revitalizing cities with an equity lens, using police cameras to deter crime, and reconciling the difference between poverty in rural and urban communities were a few of the topics discussed at The New York Times Cities for Tomorrow conference last week, held in New Orleans. Mayors and civic leaders from across the country … Continued
At FUSE, we are often asked how we develop our fellowship projects. The process is a partnership from beginning to end. Each FUSE fellowship begins with a conversation. Six months before a fellowship commences, our team starts engaging with government leaders around the country to learn about the problems facing their communities, and to explore … Continued
FUSE projects are crafted with the primary goal of making life better for people in the communities we serve. That overarching objective infuses just about every aspect of our fellowships, from project conception and design, all the way through to implementation of a new strategy. But, as with most organizations that navigate complex challenges, our … Continued