Grandfamilies Raising 2.65 Million Children
Legislation | November 14, 2019 | by Linda Couch
A new report sheds light on the the nation's grandfamilies.
Across the United State, more than 2.65 million children live in grandfamilies, according to A Place to Call Home: Building Affordable Housing for Grandfamilies. The report was issued on November 13.
“Parental substance abuse, death, or incarceration are common reasons that cause grandfamilies to come together. Since these traumatic situations typically do not come with any planning time, the housing challenges grandfamilies face are unique,” according to the report.
The report defines grandfamilies as families in which grandparents or other adult family members or close family members are raising children with no parents in the home.
Housing challenges include often immediate needs for larger homes, local housing providers not recognizing grandfamilies as legal families who are eligible for housing assistance, and the shortage of homes affordable to low income grandfamilies. Poverty is another area of great concern identified by the report. About 30.5% of children whose grandparents are responsible for them and have no parent in the home are poor, compared to 18.4% of children in the population as a whole.
While specialized housing and programing exist, such efforts are mall compared to the need. Nationally, the report notes 19 specialized grandfamilies housing programs with on-site services in various communities around the United States.
LeadingAge supports the report’s policy recommendations, which include the need for clear guidance from HUD and the Department of the Treasury that federal housing programs cannot block assistance from lawfully eligible households that include grandfamily caregivers but who may not have legal custody of the children they raise; increased investment in affordable housing; and, support for The Grandfamilies Act, which would authorize support programs for grandfamilies.