The partnership with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services sets a course for Mississippi to become a leader in improving outcomes for youth exiting the foster care system.

MISSISSIPPI YOUTH VOICE

Our Mississippi Youth Voice project empowers young people who have experienced foster care:

• to develop leadership skills and advocate for themselves and their peers with judges, attorneys, legislators and leaders of the Mississippi Dept. of Child Protective Services
• to share their perspectives on social media, blogs, & traditional media outlets and create resources for youth in care and transitioning out of care
• to build broader communities of support
• to engage with front-line foster care system workers, providers, & foster parents

OPPORTUNITY PASSPORT

First Place also offers independent-living-skills programs for young adults transitioning from foster care to adulthood, including delivering Opportunity Passport™–a matched-savings program designed by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

RECENT WINS FOR TRANSITION-AGED YOUTH

• Kinkade FAITH Scholarship, championed by First Place, covers full cost of attendance for foster youth at Mississippi state and private colleges
  Addition of 14 new Transition-Age Youth Navigator Counselors to support transitions to adulthood for foster youth age 14-21
• Leasing/Rental Authority for youth aging out of care, expanding access to stable housing