Thursday, May 8, 2025
5/8/2025
Hamilton County ACT FUSE Program - The Hamilton County TN Sheriff’s Office is seeking $3.39 million in SAMHSA funds to establish a forensic ACT Team/supportive housing project to serve 100 homeless adults with severe and persistent mental illness who are “frequent users” of County jails, hospitals, emergency rooms, crisis centers and psychiatric facilities. The Sheriff’s Office and its partners—BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, CHI Memorial hospital, Erlanger Health Systems, the City of Chattanooga and the state psychiatric facility Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute—are replicating a methodology called FUSE (Frequent Users Systems Engagement) developed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). More than 30 FUSE projects implemented across the country consistently demonstrate significant reductions in costly hospitalizations, incarcerations and crisis system use, 80% or higher housing stability rates, and increases in employment, health and other indicators of well-being. These outcomes often lead to changes in public policy and resource allocation. Over the last 18 months, the partners have formalized a FUSE Leadership Team, contributing decision-makers, staff resources and project operational funds. To date, the FUSE Leadership Team has established a Program Office and support committees, engaged CSH to provide technical assistance and secured the initial 50 Housing Choice rental vouchers. Pending requests for funding include ACT start-up funds from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (TDMHSAS) and from the Sheriff’s Office for non-reimbursable housing and miscellaneous expenses. Centerstone of Tennessee (CST) has been selected to manage the ACT Team, Centerstone Research Institute (CRI) to conduct program evaluation and the Center for Evidence-based Practices (CEBP) at Case Western Reserve University to provide ACT technical assistance and to fidelity to the model. The City is working with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to develop a data warehouse that will allow hospitals, managed care organizations, behavioral health facilities, the homeless system and justice systems to share data in order to identify current and future ACT clients, and to conduct program evaluation, cost analysis and other research projects. Preliminary data collection is underway. Only two teams exist within the state of Tennessee. Hamilton County is prepared to establish and sustain the third, due in part to frequent user data presented to elected officials and community leaders 18 months ago: Between 2012 and 2016, seven homeless individuals with mental illness were arrested 149 times and spent 4,820 days incarcerated at a total cost of $419,000. Despite the "investment," the health and well-being of these individuals was no better at the end of five years than at the beginning.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).