In July 2023, New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families, Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen, and Volunteers of America launched My First Place™—a housing and employment program for transition-age youth aging out of foster care. Eighteen months later, the results speak clearly: when systems genuinely invest in young people’s capacity, outcomes shift dramatically. 

A new process evaluation documents what happened when 60+ young people were offered safe housing, individualized coaching, and genuine autonomy. 

The Model in Action 

My First Place operates on a simple premise: young people need housing, opportunity, and skilled support to build sustainable lives. The program provides: 

• Fully subsidized, furnished apartments in which youth live independently 

• Personalized coaching from Youth Advocates, Employment Specialists, and Housing Specialists 

• Extended support beyond age 21—closing a gap that has historically left young people with housing challenges after their 21st birthday. 

• Space to learn, make decisions, and grow 

What the Data Shows 

Over the first 18 months: 

• 88% of youth made progress toward their self-defined goals. Not goals set by adults. Goals the young people themselves named as important—completing education, landing jobs, stabilizing housing, rebuilding family connections. 

• 73% are employed, with over half maintaining jobs for 90+ days and building careers in their chosen fields. 

• 95% remain engaged in the program for at least 90 days. When young people feel genuinely supported, they stay. They invest. 

• 78% demonstrate strong housing skills and stability, maintaining apartments they now call home. 

Youth themselves described the difference: “I like this program. I have a certain level of independence, but also guidance, a few rules, and support.” 

Why This Mattered: Partnership Across Systems 

The New Jersey launch succeeded not because of any single organization, but because of structured collaboration across three roles: the state funder (DCF), the model developer and coach (First Place), and the implementation partners (Catholic Charities and VOA). 

This created something rarely seen in social services—transparency and client-centered focus across agencies. As one DCF staff member reflected: “Having coaching from someone outside the Funder was really allowing [providers] to express what they’re seeing and what needs to change—and then helping it get to us in a way that it just didn’t in the past.” 

Weekly operations meetings, structured coaching, and shared decision-making became infrastructure for rapid problem-solving. When providers struggled with staff hiring or housing acquisition, the system responded collaboratively rather than punitively. 

What Success Looked Like 

Both sites reached enrollment targets of 30 youth each within 18 months—no small feat given the ambitious timeline. 

More importantly, the program achieved high fidelity quickly. Research suggests it typically takes three to five years for programs to mature. New Jersey accelerated that timeline significantly. 

Youth noticed the difference in tangible ways: better housing than previous placements, increased autonomy, staff who genuinely understood their situation. One young person captured it simply: “My worker is absolutely lovely. She does everything she can.” 

The Bigger Picture 

The New Jersey findings illuminate something fundamental: the barrier to young people’s success isn’t their capacity. It’s access to the right resources. 

For decades, policy has treated aging out of foster care as an endpoint—at 18 or 21, support ends. Young people have been expected to achieve independence that most adults haven’t reached, without mentorship, housing stability, or career pathways. 

The data from New Jersey suggests a different approach works: provide housing without arbitrary exit dates. Train staff in trauma-informed, relationship-driven practice. Design programs with young people, not for them. Invest in genuine partnership across systems. 

When those conditions exist, young people don’t just survive, they thrive. 

About the Evaluation 

“Bridging Vision and Practice: A Process Evaluation of the My First Place™ Model Launch in New Jersey” was conducted by First Place for Youth’s Evaluation and Learning Department and released in November 2025. The evaluation documents 18 months of MFP operations across two provider sites serving three counties, drawing from interviews with youth participants, staff, leadership, and administrative data from both sites. 

The findings offer evidence of what partnership and asset-based practice can achieve for transition-age youth—and the infrastructure requirements that make such achievement possible. 

Read the full evaluation HERE!

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