As Maria's story illustrates, the transition from foster care to independent living is fraught with challenges. For most young people who age out of foster care, there are limited public or community-based services available. Instead of receiving support and guidance during this critical transition, former foster youth are typically sent out into the world without housing, without a source of income, without adult encouragement and without community support. It is no wonder that former foster youth are significantly more likely to experience homelessness, poverty, low educational attainment and poor health than other people their age.

In the Bay Area, First Place for Youth offers an alternative for young people like Maria. Founded in 1998, First Place is today considered a national model for providing permanent housing, counseling and other support services for high risk youth. Currently, First Place houses 130 youth from four Bay Area counties at any given time. It provides services through three programs:

• My First Place, a supported housing program, provides stability for former foster youth through safe, permanent, affordable housing, intensive case management, and advocacy and support services.
• First Steps, a transitional support center, provides case management, educational and employment support, housing referrals and community resources for current and former foster care youth in a social setting designed to empower young people making the transition to independent living.
• First Foundation, an individual transition support program, provides guidance and stability to youth who are not living in the traditional foster family setting, but instead are placed in a residential facility and are within two years of aging out of foster care.

Making a Difference

First Place programs have had a positive impact on the lives of former foster youth in all aspects of their lives:

• Housing stability: 98 percent of all program participants avoided homelessness after entering First Place services. In addition, 80 percent of youth in the My First Place Program maintain safe, permanent housing after exiting the program and 88 percent of the highest-risk youth in First Foundation stabilized in their foster care placements after beginning to work with First Place.
• Economic Security: 79 percent of eligible youth obtained employment and their average wage was $9.73 per hour. In addition, 95 percent of youth avoided accessing public benefits and 96 percent of youth avoided involvement with the criminal justice system.
• Educational Attainment: : 73 percent of First Foundation youth exited foster care with their high school diploma or equivalent (as compared to 55 percent nationally.) In addition, 70 percent of My First Place participants enrolled in post secondary education.
• Improved Health: 100 percent of participants secured health care while in our program. In addition, 100 percent of parenting youth retained custody of their children while in the program, and 95 percent of mothers did not have another baby.
• Connection to the Community: 90 percent of participants report that they feel their Youth Advocate is there to support them in all aspects of their life, and 70 percent report that the program helps them feel like they are part of a community.

Learn more about Program Area: Vulnerable Populations