
HOUSING
EDUCATION
CAREER READINESS
SUCCESS
2019 Annual Report
First Place for Youth helps foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
IMPACT
This year, 1,715 foster and homeless youth received supportive services from First Place and our My First Place™ Network partners. Here in California, 652 young people accessed safe, stable housing, education and employment support, and case management services.
96%
OF MFP PARTICIPANTS WERE WORKING AND/OR IN SCHOOL
At entry 48% of youth were not in school and 52% were unemployed
90%
OF YOUTH WHO EXITED AFTER AT LEAST ONE YEAR IN MFP MAINTAINED STABLE HOUSING
36% of foster youth experience homelessness at least once before age 26
98%
AVOIDED ARREST WHILE IN MFP
25% of foster youth become justice-involved within two years of leaving foster care
95%
AVOIDED PREGNANCY WHILE IN MFP
48% of youth women in foster care become pregnant by age 19

First Place for Youth helps foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
IMPACT
This year, 1,715 foster and homeless youth received supportive services from First Place and our My First Place™ Network partners. Here in California, 652 young people accessed safe, stable housing, education and employment support, and case management services.
96%
OF MFP PARTICIPANTS WERE WORKING AND/OR IN SCHOOL
At entry 48% of youth were not in school and 52% were unemployed
90%
OF YOUTH WHO EXITED AFTER AT LEAST ONE YEAR IN MFP MAINTAINED STABLE HOUSING
36% of foster youth experience homelessness at least once before age 26
98%
AVOIDED ARREST WHILE IN MFP
25% of foster youth become justice-involved within two years of leaving foster care
95%
AVOIDED PREGNANCY WHILE IN MFP
48% of youth women in foster care become pregnant by age 19
DEAR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS
When you reflect on your successes, do you remember single moments of accomplishment? Or do you celebrate all the work you did, persevering through challenges on the way to your goal?
For young people beginning their lives after foster care, envisioning a successful future can be difficult. There is rarely a clear view of the path from where they are to where they could be. First Place for Youth gives young people the stability and support they need to begin building skills that move them closer to their goals. Because success isn’t a moment; it is a process of growth and learning where each accomplishment opens doors for the next.
Just like the youth we serve, First Place continues to grow and learn.
This year we housed more youth than ever before, moving 652 young people from homelessness or unstable living conditions into their own apartments, and providing them with comprehensive wraparound supports in education, career development, and making healthy life choices.
In Santa Clara County, we doubled our capacity and are now serving youth up to age 24, extending the runway to independence. In Los Angeles, we opened our fifth service site and are now housing over 200 youth annually. We also entered new partnerships with local governments and providers in San Francisco and Alameda Counties to reduce youth homelessness in the Bay Area. Beyond California, our My First Place™ Network continues to bring impactful services to foster youth in four states.
Even as we strive to reach more young people, we maintain focus on program practices and participant outcomes. Later in this report, you will learn about improvements we are making to our data systems and education-to-employment model.
None of this work would be possible without your support. By investing in First Place and the potential of our youth, you make the path toward real, lasting success clearer and smoother. We are so grateful to have you with us!
Sincerely,
Heidi McIntosh,
Chief Executive Officer


LEARNING & GROWTH
First Place is an outcomes-driven organization dedicated to continuous improvement to refine our programs and ensure foster youth receive the best support toward achieving their goals, both while in program and in the long term.
Education-to-Employment Model
Committed to ensuring foster youth can succeed in today’s economic climate, we are refining our education-to-employment model and using a racial equity lens to address systemic barriers to living-wage employment for foster youth. Our focus is on increasing: (1) college persistence and certificate completion rates; (2) job placements in high-growth careers; and (3) the number of foster youth earning living wages.
iLearning
First Place is leveraging technology to develop a data-driven support tool that will enable staff to quickly and efficiently make programmatic improvements. The iLearning system will identify the most effective interventions for each youth and optimize their likelihood of achieving success. After refining and piloting the data model, we plan to launch the system organization-wide in the coming year.
National Partners
Having successfully launched the My First Place™ Network in 2017, our national expansion continues with four affiliate partners in Boston, Mississippi, New York, and, most recently, Cincinnati, Ohio. In the last year, our affiliate partners served 108 foster and homeless youth. Our newest affiliate is a public-private collaboration with Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services and the GreenLight Fund. We will be supporting two Cincinnati-based providers as they implement our MFP program to serve 30 young people in the coming year.
FINANCIALS
Fiscal Year 2019 financial results — audit in process
Revenue |
|
---|---|
Government | $13,064,182 |
Foundation, Corporate, Fund, and Individuals | $7,786,456 |
Donated/Miscellaneous | $505,961 |
Net Assets Released from Donor Restrictions | $3,479,573 |
Total Revenue | $24,836,172 |
Expenses |
|
---|---|
Program | $20,322,737 |
General/Administration | $3,706,340 |
Fundraising | $794,150 |
Total Expenses |
$24,823,227 |
Statement of Financial Position |
|
---|---|
Current Assets | $9,934,337 |
Fixed Assets | $453,497 |
Other Assets | $1,868,202 |
Total Assets |
$12,256,036 |
Total Liabilities | $2,121,496 |
Net Assets | $10,134,541 |
Total Liabilities and Net Assets | $12,256,036 |
READY TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
We are grateful to the nearly 1,600 donors who contributed $16.4 million dollars to our Ready to Launch growth campaign. Thanks to your generosity over the last four years:
FIRST PLACE SERVED
5,575
YOUTH ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS
MY FIRST PLACE HOUSED
1,257
YOUTH FOR AN AVERAGE OF 17 MONTHS
774
MFP PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN COLLEGE
971
MFP PARTICIPANTS FOUND EMPLOYMENT
For the complete list of First Place supporters for fiscal year 2019, view the PDF version of this report.
From all of us at First Place, thank you for making an impact in the lives of foster youth.
Report designed by Merel Kennedy
FINANCIALS
Fiscal Year 2019 financial results — audit in process
Revenue |
|
---|---|
Government | $13,064,182 |
Foundation, Corporate, Fund, & Individuals |
$7,786,456 |
Donated/Miscellaneous | $505,961 |
Net Assets Released from Donor Restrictions |
$3,479,573 |
Total Revenue | $24,836,172 |
Expenses |
|
---|---|
Program | $20,322,737 |
General/Administration | $3,706,340 |
Fundraising | $794,150 |
Total Expenses |
$24,823,227 |
Statement of Financial Position |
|
---|---|
Current Assets | $9,934,337 |
Fixed Assets | $453,497 |
Other Assets | $1,868,202 |
Total Assets |
$12,256,036 |
Total Liabilities | $2,121,496 |
Net Assets | $10,134,541 |
Total Liabilities and Net Assets |
$12,256,036 |
READY TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
We are grateful to the nearly 1,600 donors who contributed $16.4 million dollars to our Ready to Launch growth campaign. Thanks to your generosity over the last four years:
FIRST PLACE SERVED
5,575
YOUTH ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS
MY FIRST PLACE HOUSED
1,257
YOUTH FOR AN AVERAGE OF 17 MONTHS
774
MFP PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN COLLEGE
971
MFP PARTICIPANTS FOUND EMPLOYMENT
For the complete list of First Place supporters for fiscal year 2019, view the PDF version of this report.
From all of us at First Place, thank you for making an impact in the lives of foster youth.
Report designed by Merel Kennedy