Participation in My First Place Is Associated with Better Employment and Educational Outcomes among Young People in Extended Foster Care
Young people aging out of extended foster care face significant challenges during the transition to adulthood. My First Place aims to put those young people on a path towards lifelong self-sufficiency by providing intensive case management and fully subsidized housing to 18- to 25-year-olds across six California counties.
What We Did
Chapin Hall evaluated My First Place’s effects on employment, earnings, and postsecondary educational outcomes. The study included 2,598 young adults—571 who completed the program, 1,207 who enrolled in but did not complete the program, and 820 who were referred to the program but did not enroll.
Researchers analyzed aggregate employment and earnings data from the California Employment Development Department and individual-level college enrollment and graduation data from the National Student Clearinghouse. They compared outcomes across groups and used statistical matching to measure the effects of program participation on college enrollment, semester completion, and credential attainment.
What We Found
Young people who completed the program were more likely to be employed and earned more than those who did not complete the program and those who did not enroll.
- Program completers were 1.7 times more likely to be employed than nonparticipants in the year they exited the program and 1.5 times more likely to be employed than nonparticipants 3 years later.
- On average, program completers earned 65% more than nonparticipants in the year they exited the program and 37% more than nonparticipants 3 years later.
Longer stays, planned exits, and exits to stable housing were also linked to higher employment rates and higher earnings.
Program participants were more likely to enroll in college and more likely to complete a semester of college than their peers. Participation increased the likelihood of enrolling in college by 32% and the likelihood of completing a semester of college by 39%. However, participants were no more likely than nonparticipants to earn a postsecondary credential. Young women were more likely to enroll in college, more likely to complete a semester, and more likely to earn a credential than young men.
What It Means
These findings suggest that providing young people in extended foster care with stable housing and intensive case management can improve their employment and postsecondary educational outcomes. Future research should explore what additional supports young people need to persist in postsecondary education and earn a credential, since program participation was not associated with an increase in credential attainment.
Interested in learning more about this work? Reach out to Amy Dworsky.
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