Joins Us For A Celebration of Heart & Home

Invest in Brighter Futures for Foster Youth!

Our 2023 Annual Report is Now Available

Join the Team at First Place for Youth

Learn more about rewarding career opportunities serving foster youth!

We Had a Fantastic 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Raising the Bar: Research & Policy Brief

The research and policy recommendations presented in this brief drive our program work and policy agenda.

The mission of First Place is to help foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood

Looking for Services?
Visit our Youth Services Page or fill out an interest form.

We drive improvements to the foster system so young people can succeed

  • Youth-focused programs and services
  • Data-driven research and education
  • Policy change and advocacy work
  • Committed network of partner organizations

More successful outcomes for foster youth

Programs & Services

Measuring Our Impact

1660

youth were served and supported by First Place for Youth in 2022

91%

of young people we work with
identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color

96%

of participants in My First Place
are in school or working

92%

of My First Place participants attain stable housing when they exit the program

PROGRAMS & SERVICES

The My First PlaceTM Program

My First Place is a nationally recognized education and employment program that provides housing and case management for transition-age foster youth aged 18 to 25.

Participants are supported by a Youth Advocate, Education and Employment Specialist, and Housing Specialist. Access to post-secondary education coaching, apprenticeships and individualized supports help make sense of work and school. By helping foster youth enter adulthood with jobs that earn a living wage, this program fosters a sense of permanency and builds skills to be self-sufficient in the long term.

What’s Happening At First Place for Youth

In the Media

Advancing Equitable AI in the US Social Sector

One example of an organization using AI to support evidence-based decision-making is First Place for Youth, an organization that helps foster youth make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood. First Place for Youth built a recommendation engine that uses precision analytics—a technology that predicts trends and behavioral patterns by discovering cause-and-effect relationships in data—to analyze program administration and case assessment data, and learn from differences in outcomes among youth.

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Blog

March is ‘Stay Paid’ Month at First Place!

March is ‘Stay Paid’ Month at First Place for Youth where we acknowledge all of our young people’s efforts in […]

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Blog

Empowering Young Lives: Updates from My First Place™ Program Launch in New Jersey 

Nearly six months ago, First Place for Youth and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJ DCF) launched […]

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Blog

From Lived Experience to Rhyme: The Resonance of Hip Hop in the Foster Care Narrative 

In the vibrant world of hip hop, where storytelling is an art form, the echoes of lived experiences often find […]

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