As graduate students attending the University of California at Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, Amy Lemley and Deanne Pearn were struck by how many young people who grew up in foster care faced intense challenges after aging out of care, including poverty and homelessness. With a small grant in hand, they were inspired to help break the cycle of poverty for these vulnerable youth and launched First Place for Youth, the first organization in Northern California exclusively dedicated to addressing the lack of affordable housing and resources for foster youth who had exited foster care.
First Place for Youth helps foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
National Expansion
Implemented the My First Place™ model in New Jersey, the organization’s seventh state, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Volunteers of America, and Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen. We serve 60 youth in Union, Middlesex, and Somerset Counties.
Policy Achievements
Organized our first Advocacy Day in Sacramento, meeting with 11 elected California officials.
Successfully advocated for AB 525 to increase access to housing in extended foster care, SB 307 to remove barriers to post-secondary education, and the Guardian Budget Request to reduce waiting times to hire new staff to serve foster youth.
New Initiatives
Introduced an updated theory of change.
Developed the California Youth Voice (CAYV) cohort to empower foster youth as change agents.
Launched a successful CVS Pharmacy Tech Apprenticeship Program.
New Expansion Sites
Began to deliver the My First Place™ program with our Boston partner HopeWell, Inc. in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Conducted a landscape analysis of extended foster care options in Hamilton County, Ohio and in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
New Wins
Successfully advocated for AB 1651, to expand eligibility and funding in all California counties for the Transitional Housing Plus Program (THP-Plus) from 24 months to 36 months and raising the upper age eligibility from 24 to 25 years.
Welcoming a New Chief Executive Officer
In fall of 2021, we were proud to welcome our new CEO, Thomas Lee.
Cutting Edge Research
In March 2021, we published Raising the Bar, our Research and Policy brief that shares new research on extended foster care and policy recommendations to improve outcomes and long-term success factors for young adults.
Information & Knowledge Sharing
In August and November, we gathered panels of expert partners to discuss key learnings from the brief in webinars attended by hundreds of providers, researchers, policy makers, and funders.
Digging in During the Pandemic
First Place continued to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 with a hybrid virtual and in-person work and program service structure.
New Program Offerings
First Place expanded program offerings in six counties to include apprentice and pre-apprenticeship programs and targeted post-secondary education coaching.
Launching Equity-driven Technology
First Place launched our innovative technology platform, the Youth Roadmap Tool, in all six California Counties. This technology stands to illuminate the critical role of individualized services to promote foster youth’s long-term self-sufficiency.
Staff take rapid action to address the immediate needs of young people with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing computers and supplemental stipends for groceries and delivering personal health and safety supplies. The move to virtual workshop programs and one-on-one support with frequent texts and video calls helps our participants keep moving towards their goals.
Other highlights
First Place celebrates anniversaries among three regional offices: five years in Santa Clara County, 10 years in Los Angeles, and 15 years in Contra Costa County.
Youth in Cincinnati enroll in My First Place™ thanks to a partnership with the Greenlight Fund, Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services, and New Path (formerly St. Joseph’s Orphanage).
The iLearning System launches (since renamed the Youth Roadmap Tool). The system leverages data to better identify effective interventions and to individualize suggested supports for youth based on their unique circumstances and characteristics.
Success in Fundraising for New Campaigns
After four years, the Ready to Launch Campaign closes at $16.4 million raised from more than 1,600 donors.
DEI Initiatives Take Shape
First Place launches a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, beginning with the selection of a Core Equity Team (CET) that shapes organization-wide discussions of challenges, prejudices, and inequities among individuals, groups, communities, and systems.
My First Place™ Expands to New York
The My First Place™ Network expands to New York, partnering with The Children’s Village as our newest partner.
Partnerships Bring Programs to Mississippi
First Place partners with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative and the Mississippi State Department of Child Protective Services to bring programs to Mississippi.
New Service Sites
A new housing partnership in Santa Monica establishes a fourth Los Angeles County service site.
20 Years & New Milestones
We mark our 20th year in operation with housing for 700 young adults.
$1M Grant from United Airlines
United Airlines invests in our Los Angeles programs with a $1 Million grant and on-going career exploration opportunities for participants.
Partnerships Across the Country
FPFY partners with Hopewell in Massachusetts to bring the My First Place™ program to youth in need.
First Place’s national agenda takes a step forward with a Massachusetts partnership to run the My First Place™ Program with Hopewell, Inc. through the My First Place™ Affiliate Network.
CA Housing Improvements
New housing partnerships in San Francisco and Los Angeles expand our ability to connect youth with long-term affordable housing and on-site services.
Ready to Launch Realizes Funding Success
With more than $10 million raised in donations and pledges, the Ready to Launch campaign grows to a $15 million goal.
The 50 Fund (part of Super Bowl 50 taking place in Santa Clara) recognizes First Place as one of the organizations working to “change the game” in the Bay Area, and awards $500,000 for expansion in Santa Clara County.
New Campaigns, New Goals
The Ready to Launch growth campaign begins with a goal of $10 million.
The first two youth in our Santa Clara County program move from homelessness to stable housing.
Double Capacity with New Location
A collaboration with Art + Practice allows First Place to open a second Los Angeles office, effectively doubling the youth we can serve in Southern California.
Extra Support Through Collaboration
A new partnership with Alameda Point Collaborative allows us to provide additional supervision and guidance to our most marginalized youth at a new single-site housing location in Alameda.
18 Years Celebrity Support Campaign
First Place recruits NFL stars and other celebrities to celebrate our 18th birthday with the #WhenIWas18 campaign designed to raise awareness of the unique challenges and concerns foster youth face as they become adults.
First Place expands support and services to transition-age youth in San Francisco, assuming management of the county’s Independent Living Skills Program and beginning a service partnership at Mercy Housing’s Ocean Avenue Apartments.
Other Highlights
First Place runs an operation budget of over $15 million.
Early evidence of efficacy, fidelity, and adaptability come out in the results from the My First Place™ formative evaluation as well as positive outcomes in education, employment, housing, and healthy living that may be traced to core elements of the model.
Partnering to Develop Career Pathways
First Place partners with the James Irvine Foundation to pilot a healthcare Career Pathways program in Alameda County.
Solano County ILSP Program
First Place assumes management of the Independent Living Skills Program in Solano County, allowing us to begin serving youth at age 16.
First Place receives a $3 million pilot grant from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to expand our capacity to serve more youth and train providers on our model.
400 youth are housed through My First Place.
New Website
The National Alliance to End Homelessness recognizes First Place as a best-practice model for creating positive, lasting outcomes for youth at risk of homelessness.
After seeing the high need for services in Southern California, First Place expands beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, opening a fifth program office in Los Angeles.
State-wide Wins for Foster Youth
AB 12 is signed into law, creating a statewide extended foster care system for youth up to 21 years of age.
Evaluating Impact
Public/Private Ventures begins an external evaluation of the My First Place™ program to determine efficacy and impact.
Policy Work to Drive Systems Change
First Place focuses on shaping policies to benefit transition-age youth, successfully petitioning Oakland to specifically earmark for youth, a portion of funds designated for the homeless and working closely with state legislators to extend foster care to age 21 (AB 12).
More Youth Housing Delivered
First Place for Youth is able to support housing for 295 youth — a new milestone.
First Place and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates partner to open the Madison Apartments in downtown Oakland. The complex sets aside 20 of the 79 units for First Place participants to live in permanently affordable housing with onsite services.
Policy Wins for Foster Youth
President George W. Bush signs legislation advocated for by First Place to include federal funding for states that extend foster care eligibility beyond age 18 (Fostering Connections to Success Act).
Growth Continues
First Place’s annual operating budget reaches $5.9 million, with 240 youth receiving housing, over 900 served in total.
Sam Cobbs testifies before Congress in support of federal legislation that would extend foster care to age 21.
First Place opens a fourth program office in Solano County
Embracing Technology to Build Evidence
The organization invests in a performance management database to help track outcomes and build evidence of effective practice
2006
Recognizing that the mission is further reaching than the “start-up” costs of housing, we drop “fund” from our name and officially rebrand as First Place for Youth
Sam Cobbs joins First Place as Executive Director. His 12-year term sees First Place through a period of significant and sustained growth.
70 youth housed.
County Expansion
A third program office opens and we begin serving Contra Costa County.
THP-Plus Implementation
First Place acts as a key partner in Alameda County’s implementation of THP-Plus housing services for former foster youth.
Campaign Milestone
Year One of a three-year expansion campaign comes to a successful conclusion.
50 youth housed.
18 Member Agencies
The Foster Youth Alliance becomes an independently operated organization with 18 member agencies.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes our First Foundation program for its innovation and effectiveness, selecting it as one of 20 “best practice” programs in the country.
Second SF Office & A Growing Team
First Place opens a second program office in San Francisco with 17 members on staff.
Supported Housing Program Grows
Supported Housing Program houses 45 youth annually.
A Milestone for New Housing
100 young adults move into housing.
Awards & Recognition
First Place receives Manhattan Social Entrepreneurship Award.
Thirty young people are enrolled in First Place’s housing program, and approximately 300 receive skill-building assistance and resource referrals from First Place through the Emancipation Training Center and the Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance.
Doubling Budget to Double Our Potential
Budget of $1.1 million, nearly doubling from previous years.
First Place receives a three-year Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship Award.
First Place is a key participant in the development of California’s sustainable funding source for housing transition-age foster youth (Transitional Housing Placement-Plus).
A Housing Milestone
First cohort of Supported Housing Program participants graduates from program.
New Training Location
The Emancipation Training Center (later First Steps Center) opens in downtown Oakland.
Peter Haas Community Service Award
First Place receives University of California Peter Haas Community Service Award.
A Growing Budget
Budget of $596,000.
First Place expands services to include the Emancipation Specialist Program (later First Foundation) to focus on helping foster youth complete high school on time through intensive case management support.
Growing Housing
10 youth housed.
Making it Official
First Place is granted independent non-profit status by the IRS.
Growing Budget & Team
With a budget of $255,000, First Place grows to eight staff members.
Learning & Improving
Based on first-year results, First Place shifts from one-time micro-loans to cover move-in costs and long-term subsidized supportive housing, allowing youth to gradually assume rental expenses at the end of a two-year program.
Kiana is the first youth to move into housing under the program.
Making Moves
Headquarters relocates from Berkeley to downtown Oakland.
Growing Programming
First Place launches a second program, the Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance.
A Small but Mighty Team
Budget of $95,000 supports 3 staff members.
The First Place Fund for Youth launches on June 1. Initially the program provides a financial literacy course and one-time micro-loans to cover first and last months’ rent.
Creating a Space
The organization is housed in the adjunct faculty office at the Goldman School through the summer and then moves into Berkeley offices.
The Work Begins
Four former foster youth — Michelle, Faryaz, Regina, and Anthony — enroll in First Place’s financial literacy course.