An estimated 2.7 million children in the United States are being raised by grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends. While so-called “grandfamilies” or “kinship families” are often eligible for federal support due to unique challenges and disproportionate risk of poverty, awareness of these benefits is often not widespread among grandparents. The following is a guide to the various resources available to grandfamilies that can help meet their needs:
The Guardianship Assistance Program is a federally-funded program that provides monthly financial support for children exiting foster care to permanent guardianship with grandparent or kinship caregivers. For more information, contact Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Children and Family Services at 717-787-4756 or visit Pennsylvania's Office of Children, Youth, and Families' website.
Kinship navigator programs assist grandparent and kinship caregivers in meeting their needs and the needs of the children in their care by connecting them to services and supports. To be connected with PA KinConnector, Pennsylvania’s Kinship Navigator Program, call 1-866-546-2111 or visit the website.
Foster care maintenance payments are monthly payments available to licensed foster family homes. These payments are intended to help cover the costs associated with caring for a child, like food, clothing, and personal needs, among others. For more information, contact Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Children and Family Services at 717-787-4756 or visit the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' website.
Senator Casey introduced the Informing Grandfamilies Act, a new bill that would ensure grandparents raising grandchildren receive the support they need and deserve.
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TANF is a federal program that provides families with financial support. TANF funds can be used to cover basic family needs, including child care assistance, job preparation, and related support services. There are two types of grants for which a grandparent or kinship caregiver may be eligible:
- Child-only grants only consider the needs and income of the child. Because most children have limited income, many relative caregivers are eligible to receive a child-only grant on behalf of the children they are caring for.
- Family grants are larger than child-only grants but are limited to 5 years and subject to work requirements, among other criteria.
Visit the website for more information.
SNAP provides food assistance in the form of a monthly benefit to help boost grocery budgets and is available to eligible grandfamilies and kinship families with low incomes. Call PA’s SNAP agency at 800-692-7462 or visit the website for more information or to apply for assistance.
WIC is a federally-funded nutrition program for families that provides a monthly food benefit, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and referrals to health care and other services. Grandparent and other kinship caregivers can apply for WIC for infants and children up to age 5 in their care. For more information or to apply for WIC in Pennsylvania, call 1-800-WIC-WINS or visit the website.
A strong advocate for grandfamilies, Senator Casey also led the passage of the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act and introduced the Grandfamilies Act and Grandfamily Housing Act .
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LIHEAP provides federally-funded assistance to help families, including grandfamilies, reduce their heating and cooling bills and support minor energy-related home repairs, like repairing or replacing heating and cooling equipment. LIHEAP can also help families reconnect services. For more information, Pennsylvanians can call the LIHEAP Hotline at 1-866-857-7095 or visit their website.
Medicaid supports qualifying individuals, including children, with free or low-cost health coverage. CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to children in families whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford private health insurance. For more information, call PA’s Department of Health and Human Services at 866-550-4355, visit the Medicaid website, or CHIP website.
Many children are eligible to receive their parent’s Social Security benefits if the parent is disabled or retired and entitled to Social Security benefits or the parent has died after working long enough to be entitled to receive Social Security benefits. For more information, call the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or visit their website.
AAAs offer a range of services and connections to additional resources, which often includes caregiving assistance and information about available services for grandparent and kinship caregivers through the National Family Caregiver Support Program. To find your local AAA, call the PA Department of Aging at 800-753-8827 or visit their website.
