Answers about First Place for Youth, transition-age foster youth, and the programs and benefits available to them.
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First Place for Youth is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 that helps transition-age foster youth build the skills they need for a successful move into self-sufficient, responsible adulthood. The organization is headquartered in Oakland, California, and was the first organization dedicated exclusively to housing transitioning foster youth in Northern California.
First Place for Youth provides housing, education and employment coaching, life skills training, and case management, using a predominantly scattered-site housing model that offers young people safe, stable apartments in their own communities rather than in a single group home.
First Place for Youth serves transition-age foster youth — young people who are currently in, preparing to leave, or have recently exited the foster care system as well as youth who have experienced homelessness. Its flagship program, My First Place™, primarily serves youth ages 18 to 24. Its Independent Living Skills program serves youth ages 16-22 in San Francisco and 15.5-21 in Solano counties.
First Place for Youth’s direct-service programs have historically operated across six California counties, including Los Angeles, Alameda, Solano, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and San Francisco. The organization also operates a brick-and-mortar program site in Mississippi. In addition, the organization has also expanded through partnerships and affiliates outside California, including in New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Ohio.
First Place for Youth’s mission is to help foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
First Place for Youth has served transition-age foster youth since 1998 — nearly 30 years.
Yes. First Place for Youth (EIN: 94-3341034) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has operated continuously since 1998, funded through a combination of government contracts, foundation and corporate grants, and private donations. The organization also undergoes an independent annual financial audit, with results reflected in its publicly available financial statements and Form 990 filings. It holds a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, including a 100% score in Charity Navigator’s Accountability & Finance category, and a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formerly GuideStar). First Place for Youth has also earned reaccreditation from the Council on Accreditation (COA), with zero out-of-compliance ratings across its programs — an independent validation of the consistency and quality of its services.
Its flagship program has also been independently evaluated by researchers at Chapin Hall, who found measurable positive outcomes in housing stability, education, and employment for participants — both during the program and up to three years after they leave it.
Sources: Charity Navigator — First Place for Youth; Candid/GuideStar profile; Form 990 filings
A transition-age foster youth is a young person, generally between the ages of 16 and 24, who is preparing to leave or has recently left the foster care system and is moving toward independent adulthood without the level of family or system support most young people can rely on.
Historically, youth aged out of foster care at 18, the traditional age of legal adulthood. Today, many states — including California — offer extended foster care, which allows eligible youth to remain in care and keep receiving support up to age 21.
For young people in states without extended foster care, or those who don’t opt into it, aging out at 18 typically means an abrupt loss of their assigned caseworker, court oversight, and any foster-care-funded housing arrangement, all on a fixed timeline. In states with extended foster care, like California, youth can avoid this by remaining under court jurisdiction and keeping a caseworker and funded housing support through age 21, but even then, many still lack the kind of family safety net most young adults can rely on for guidance and financial support.
Chapin Hall’s CalYOUTH study followed the same young people in California’s foster care system from age 17 into their mid-20s. It found that, years after leaving care, these young adults were faring worse on average than their peers across educational attainment, employment, economic self-sufficiency, physical and mental health, and involvement with the criminal justice system — even though most looked back favorably on the support they’d received while in care.
Source: Courtney, M. E., Okpych, N. J., Harty, J. S., Feng. H, Park, S., Powers, J., Nadon, M., Ditto, D. J., & Park, K. (2020). Findings from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH): Conditions of youth at age 23. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Research and youth feedback point to stable housing and a reliable adult support system as two of the most common needs, the kind of support most young people receive automatically from family but that foster youth often lose all at once when they leave care. Many also benefit from help with employment, continuing education, and everyday financial and life skills.
Extended foster care is federal legislation passed and signed into law by then-President George Bush in 2008 that allows young people to voluntarily remain in the foster care system, and continue receiving housing and case management support, past age 18 to age 21, as long as they meet participation requirements such as being enrolled in school, working, or engaged in a similar activity.
Support for transitioning youth generally falls into a few categories: extended foster care itself, Independent Living Skills Programs (ILSP) run by county child welfare agencies which provide lighter touch group workshops and trainings but no housing support, and community-based nonprofits, like First Place for Youth, that provide housing, coaching, and case management. Many of these programs provide support for just a few years, or do not include wraparound support that young people need to prepare for adulthood.
Youth in foster care are often moved from foster home to foster home, changing schools frequently. In fact, at First Place, the average foster youth have enrolled in three different high schools, which can severely interrupt academic progress. National data consistently show foster youth graduating high school and completing postsecondary education at lower rates than their non-foster peers, which is why education coaching is a core part of most transition-age programs.
The child welfare system is the broader umbrella of government and community services responsible for preventing child abuse and neglect, investigating reports, and supporting families. Foster care is one part of that system — specifically, the temporary out-of-home placement of children who cannot safely remain with their birth family.
First Place for Youth provides safe, stable housing; intensive case management from a professional and dedicated social worker; education and employment coaching; life skills training; and support around healthy living — all delivered through its nationally-recognized My First Place program model.
Yes. First Place for Youth’s core housing model offers young people apartments scattered within their own communities, close to public transportation, community colleges, and job opportunities, and pairs youth with a Housing Specialist so they can learn good tenancy habits and develop strong relationships with landlords and property managers. The organization also partners with housing developers and community colleges on additional affordable housing projects for transition-age youth.
Yes. First Place for Youth offers one-on-one employment counseling, career exploration and planning, workplace skills training, and support with job search and retention, alongside access to apprenticeships and career pathway partnerships.
Yes. First Place for Youth’s Education & Employment Specialists provide academic coaching and, where needed, tutoring to help participants complete high school and enroll and persist in college, vocational training, or an industry-recognized certificate program. Through our Steps to Success model, specialists work one-on-one with each young person to set goals for after high school, apply for and enroll in a program and get financial aid, and then stay in close contact through each term to help them stay on track, overcome barriers, and finish their program.
Yes. Current and former foster youth in California can access several layered financial aid programs through the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC): the California Chafee Grant (up to $4,500/year for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 academic years, for youth who were in foster care between ages 16–18, valid until age 26), the Cal Grant Foster Youth Access Award (up to $6,000/year in additional aid, with no separate application needed), and the Middle Class Scholarship for Foster Youth, which can cover 100% of remaining cost of attendance at a UC, CSU, or qualifying California community college bachelor’s program after other aid is applied. Separate fee waivers are also available directly through CSU college systems.
Sources: California Student Aid Commission — Foster Youth Students, CSU Foster Care Tuition/Fee Waiver.
In California, a young person who wants to remain in, or return to, extended foster care works with their current or former county child welfare or probation agency. Youth can leave extended foster care and later choose to re-enter, as long as they have not yet reached the program’s age limit of 21. Youth who exited foster care at or after age 18 but before turning 21 can re-enter the system through a Voluntary Re-Entry Agreement (VRA) if they meet one of the EFC participation requirements. They can re-enter at any time before their 21st birthday if they need support. To stay eligible, they must also meet at least one participation condition, such as working toward a high school credential, being enrolled in college or vocational training, or being employed.
Community organizations like First Place for Youth provide wraparound housing and case management support once a young person is in extended foster care, but the enrollment or re-entry decision itself is made through the county.
Source: California Department of Social Services — Extended Foster Care (AB 12).
The John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood is a federal program, administered by the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, that provides formula grants to states and tribes to help current and former foster youth transition to adulthood — covering services like education and job support, financial management, housing, and connections to caring adults. Chafee-funded services are generally available through age 21, or up to age 23 in some states. A related component, the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program, helps fund postsecondary education and training. Many transition-age programs are funded in part through Chafee dollars.
Source: Administration for Children and Families — John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood.
Eligibility generally centers on current or former foster youth within the age range served by a given program (My First Place primarily serves ages 18–to a young person’s 25th birthday) and residence in a county or region where First Place for Youth operates. Specific eligibility requirements vary by program and location.
Youth, family members, or caseworkers can express interest by completing the interest form on First Place for Youth’s Youth Services page or by contacting the relevant local program office directly.
Yes. Services are provided at no cost to participating youth. First Place for Youth’s programs are funded through government contracts, foundation grants, and donations, not fees charged to participants.
You can donate to First Place for Youth through the donation page on its website, which offers opportunities to make a one-time gift, recurring gifts, and gifts are accepted via credit card or ACH transfer, check, cash, stock donations, and in some cases, in-kind donations. There is also information on the donation page about planned or legacy giving.
If you know a young person who is in or has aged out of foster care, the most valuable things you can offer are consistency and practical support: being a reliable point of contact, helping them navigate paperwork such as housing applications, financial aid, or ID documents, and connecting them with organizations that specialize in transition-age support, like First Place for Youth. If you want a more structured way to help, mentoring or volunteering with a local foster-youth-serving organization is a good next step.
First Place for Youth offers volunteer opportunities that vary by location and season, such as in-kind donation drives, and event support. Another way to get involved is by joining First Place for Youth’s Board of Directors or Regional Advisory Board, a group of community leaders who contribute their time, expertise, and financial support to help guide the organization’s mission. Check the organization’s volunteer page or contact a local program office for current openings.
How can a caseworker or social worker refer a youth to First Place for Youth?
Caseworkers and social workers can refer a young person by submitting the interest form on First Place for Youth’s website or by contacting the appropriate county program office directly.
Resources for transition-age foster youth are typically available through your county’s child welfare or probation department (via its Independent Living Skills Program), 211 information and referral lines, and community-based organizations such as First Place for Youth. Contacting your county’s ILSP office is usually the fastest way to find the full range of local options. First Place for Youth’s official locations can be found on the locations page of the website.