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

First Place works to ensure the ongoing success of transition age foster youth by helping them achieve three goals needed for self-sufficiency: safe, affordable housing, increased educational attainment, including two years of post-secondary education, and improving economic security through living-wage employment. Each year, an estimated 5,000 youth will age out of foster care in California and immediately lose access to essential state-funded services. Without this critical support, many youth will find themselves homeless and living in poverty, without a job or educational prospects. Our intensive case management approach has proven that First Place is effectively meeting the unique needs of the youth we serve. When compared to outcome data for the general population of foster youth, our participants are eight times less likely to experience homelessness; nearly twice as likely to graduate from high school; nine times more likely to be enrolled in college; and nearly three times as likely to be employed. During the next year we expect that youth will demonstrate the following positive outcomes:     ·         80 percent of youth will exit First Place and remain in their safe, affordable apartment or will move into other appropriate, stable housing. Indicator: Studies show that up to 65 percent of California�s foster youth face imminent homeless after exiting the foster care system.       ·         70 percent of youth will receive their high school diploma or GED certificate, or be actively enrolled in school. Indicator: In California, only 46 percent of foster youth receive their high school diploma or GED.     ·         80 percent of eligible youth will successfully enroll in post-secondary education. Indicator: Only 10 percent of California�s foster youth enroll in college.       ·         70 percent of youth will obtain employment and/or realize a wage increase or promotion. Indicator: Only 29 percent of California�s foster youth find jobs after leaving foster care.