TRANSITION-AGED FOSTER YOUTH POLICY AND PRACTICE EFFORTS

OUR WORK IN MISSISSIPPI

Established in 2018, the First Place for Youth Mississippi office oversees Mississippi Youth Voice, a project that empowers young people with experience in foster care to advocate for and create resources for themselves and their peers, develop leadership skills, and engage with a broader community of support.

First Place is also the Mississippi administrator for Opportunity Passport™, a matched savings program offered by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. Opportunity Passport helps young adults transitioning from foster care to gain personal financial skills through financial and money management education, support in opening, maintaining, and growing a bank account, and dollar-for-dollar matched savings (up to $3,000).

OUR HISTORY

First Place for Youth has provided housing, other supports, and policy advocacy for young adults transitioning out of foster care since 1998. After decades of work in California, First Place for Youth moved beyond its home state to partner with jurisdictions across the country, advocating for data-informed policies, programs, and services.

In Mississippi, First Place is engaged in an innovative partnership with the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services (MDCPS) to improve outcomes for young adults exiting the foster care system. First Place initially evaluated Mississippi’s programs and policies designed for transition-aged foster youth to identify strengths and opportunities and to understand the state’s capacity for engaging in meaningful change. After a year-long collaborative visioning effort and a thorough policy review, First Place believes that Mississippi is dedicated to prioritizing significant improvements in systems, services, and programs for young adults transitioning out of foster care. Our work aims to set a course for Mississippi to become a leader in improving outcomes for transition-aged foster youth.

POST-FOSTER CARE CHALLENGES IN MISSISSIPPI

Youth that turn 18 in the foster care system typically have not been afforded the same opportunities and familial supports as their non-foster youth peers. Through no fault of their own, significant barriers stand between them and an independent, healthy adult life.

Such barriers include:

  • High rates of homelessness and periods of unstable housing
  • Low rates of high school, GED, and post-secondary education completion
  • Underdeveloped independent-living skills, tenancy skills, and ability to navigate the adult world
  • Limited access to living-wage employment and lower rates of job readiness skills

SHARING YOUTH VOICES

Mississippi Youth Voice members work to uplift the voices of transition-aged foster youth by sharing their experiences with:

  • Foster care providers, judges, attorneys, & legislators
  • MDCPS leadership, front line workers, & foster parents
  • Social media, blogs, & traditional media outlets

RECENT WINS FOR TRANSITION-AGED YOUTH

  • Kinkade FAITH Scholarship, championed by First Place, covers full cost of attendance for current and former foster youth at all state and many private

    colleges in Mississippi
  • Addition of 14 new Transition Age Youth (TAY) Navigator positions to support independent living and transition to adulthood for foster youth age 14-21
  • Leasing/Rental Authority for youth aging out of care, significantly expanding opportunities for stable housing
  • Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption Program for older foster youth

MISSISSIPPI EXTENDED FOSTER CARE STRATEGIES

ESTABLISHING NEW PRIORITIES

2022 was a year of great strides for transition-aged foster youth in Mississippi, but significant work remains to ensure all foster youth have the resources and supports needed to successfully transition to independence and responsible adult lives. We have identified the following 2023-2024 reform priorities:

Build out Kinkade FAITH Scholarship

  • Training for on-campus supports
  • Training TAY Navigators on effective education support
  • Connecting youth to community resources to help navigate FAFSA, college planning, and scholarship applications (e.g., Get2College)

Extended Foster Care Legislation in 2023 Session

  • Lead advocacy efforts to draft and pass legislation enabling Mississippi to opt into extended foster care and to establish housing and case-management supports for foster youth up to age 21
  • Leverage federal funds for population already served
  • Lead development of an extended foster care plan for submission to the Children’s Bureau

Build out housing transition plans for youth 18+

  • Create supportive, transitional housing placements for youth age 18-21 who remain in custody
  • Support transition into community-based housing programs upon exit from care (e.g., HUD Foster Youth to Independence vouchers, etc.)
  • Finalize pre-release workflow and referral processes with MDCPS and Youth Court judges
  • Offer RentWise classes and resources to help build strong tenancy skills
  • Coordinate with state agency referrals and services: Mississippi Department of Health Services, Medicaid, Mental Health, Housing Authorities, etc.
  • Collaborate on independent living programming to include readiness skills that lead to successful transitions to independence such as financial literacy, driving, interpersonal communication, and tenancy
  • Image: Members of Mississippi Youth Voice, advocates, foster youth, and our Mississippi Site Director Samantha Kalahar (middle) at the Mississippi State Capitol, February 3rd, 2022.


OUR IMPACT IN MISSISSIPPI

First Place for Youth facilitates the Mississippi Youth Voice program in which current and former foster youth lend insight and lived experience to lead activities and advocate for positive change for current and former foster children. Read more about the impact in our 2022 Mississippi Impact Report.

MORE IS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR HELP

For additional information, contact First Place Mississippi Site Director, Samantha Kalahar:

  • [email protected]
  • (601) 368-6762
  • Our office is located on 121 North State Street, Suite 100B, Jackson, MS 39201.

You can make a difference in the lives of Mississippi foster youth by donating today.