We have moved our headquarters in Oakland! Our new offices are located at 426 17th Street, Oakland, California 94612.

First Place CEO Sam Cobbs has received Sigma Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi's Citizen of the Year Award for his outstanding leadership of First Place for Youth in facilitating the advancement of foster youth!

Solano County was presented with the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Challenge Award for Money Matters, an innovative financial literacy program designed to provide foster youth ages 16-17 with tools to manage their personal finances. The partners in creating the Money Matters program are First Place for Youth, Solano County Health and Social Services, Travis Credit Union, United Way of the Bay Area, Solano County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Youth Action Team. Read more about Money Matters here.

Be part of the movement to improve educational outcomes for youth in foster care! Join Fostering Media Connections and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for a national conversation on the intersection of education and foster care. The live webcast airs October 19th, noon pacific time. Click here to watch!

First Place for Youth's Maximum Impact Golf Tournament raised over $22,000! Nearly 100 players came out to play golf and celebrate the accomplishments of First Place for Youth on September 26th. Thank you to our generous community of friends and supporters who contributed over $22,000 in sponsorships, registration fees, raffle sales and general donations to our 2nd Annual Maximum Impact Golf Tournament at Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland.  

First Place was featured on ABC-7 News' latest airing of "Beyond the Headlines," hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Cheryl Jennings. First Place CEO Sam Cobbs was interviewed along with other community leaders working to improve the lives of foster youth, including Senator John Burton and Sleep Train Founder and CEO Dale Carlsen. Tune in at the 12 minute mark to hear Sam speak about the importance of transitional housing to youth aging out of the foster care system. Click here to watch.

Former First Place participant, Deja, is featured in this East Bay Express article about the struggles of the "Young, Poor and Invisible." Click here to read the article.

First Place will provide homes in San Francisco for transitioning foster youth once the new Booker T. Washington Community Center is opened. Previously, San Francisco youth had to relocate to the East Bay to access affordable housing through First Place. Click here for more information about this exciting project.

CEO Sam Cobbs is quoted in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article on foster care reform. Click here to read the article. 

First Place for Youth receives national recognition with a best practice endorsement from The National Alliance to End Homelessness. To see our page in the best practice library click here.

Our 13th annual gala, There's No Place Like Home, raised over $200,000 to support First Place programs! View pictures and read more about the event here.

Congratulations to Lowell Ligon, Sahara Simon, and Thomas Richardson! These talented young people won the Iron Chef Juvenile Culinary Competition put on by the Alameda County Blue Ribbon Commission’s Beyond the Borders of Foster Care. The teams were required to prepare and present an appetizer or small plate for 85 to 100 people. The First Place team prepared a winning crab napoleon!

The San Francisco Chronicle published an op-ed by Patricia, an FPFY youth. In the piece, she shares her story and urged the Governor to sign AB12.

CEO Sam Cobbs has received the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his work at First Place. Watch the First Place award video here.

FPFY CEO Sam Cobbs was interviewed on KPIX CBS 5's Bay Sunday about the issues foster youth face when aging out of care.