This Thanksgiving, over 13 million American children are living with their grandparents (four times what this it was in 1970).

  • 21% of grandparents caring for grandchildren live below the poverty line.
  • The average income for households where only a grandmother is raising grandchildren is less than $20,000 per year.
  • 35% of grandparents raising grandchildren have not graduated from high school, limiting their earning potential.

Employment Issues

  • 49% of grandmothers raising grandchildren are unemployed.
  • 34% of grandfathers raising grandchildren are unemployed.
  • Many grandparents quit working to care for grandchildren, impacting their retirement savings and future Social Security benefits.

Housing Concerns

  • As of 2019, 10.2 million older households were considered “cost burdened” in terms of housing expenses.
  • There is a growing need for affordable “grandfamily housing” with on-site support services.

Healthcare Costs

  • Grandparents often struggle to afford health insurance for their grandchildren if they don’t qualify for Medicaid or CHIP.
  • Medicare does not cover dependents, creating additional healthcare cost burdens.

These economic challenges highlight the need for increased financial support and resources for grandparents who unexpectedly find themselves raising their grandchildren later in life.

Impossible Questions & Painful Statistics
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Impossible Questions & Painful Statistics

It is estimated that for every child in foster care with relatives, there are 20 living outside of care with relatives (usually grandparents). Primary reasons for this are grandparents fear of State Foster Care Licensing and County Child Protection System involvement.

Poverty and hunger in these families is common. Assisted guardianships are paid about 15% of what licensed caregivers are paid by the County.

Being 70+ and caring for high needs children is not easy. Children need the stability, love, and care of kinship whenever possible. We should all want this for children. It makes for well-adjusted children and happier / safer communities.

We can’t fix the larger problem of dedicated grandparents of limited means raising their grandchildren this Thanksgiving –

But we can make life easier for the families we know of (through our personal, religious and community organizations). 

Resources for Grandparents

WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK and most of all, your State Representative (find them here) change will come a little bit faster. When enough of us become informed and speak up for abused and neglected children, you will improve their lives and our communities!

Please support KARA’s work with a small monthly donation:  

Read more about payment differences and disparities for Grandparents:

  • Basic maintenance rates for foster care as of July 1, 2023 are:
    • Ages 0-5: $731 per month ($24.03 per day)
    • Ages 6-12: $866 per month ($28.47 per day)
    • Ages 13-20: $1,023 per month ($33.63 per day)
  • Additional supplemental rates based on the child’s needs (MAPCY assessment) range from $0 to $1,725 per month.

For guardianships (which may include assisted living arrangements):

  • The maximum fee allowed for guardians is 5% of the ward’s income, up to $100 per month.
  • This fee is added to the monthly assistance standard for eligible individuals not residing in nursing homes, regional treatment centers, or group residential housing facilities.

#grandparents,

#childabuse

#teenmoms

#childrensrights

#childprotection

#KARA

#KIDSATRISK

#kinshipcare

 

 

 

 

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Author: Mike Tikkanen