The Grandfamilies Act would expand benefits, improve access to resources for grandparents and relative caregivers raising children
Nearly 260,000 Pennsylvanian children live in grandfamilies
Almost 20 percent of grandfamilies nationwide are below the poverty line
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) introduced the Grandfamilies Act to support grandparents and kinship caregivers who have stepped in when parents are no longer able to care for their children. As the opioid and fentanyl crisis continues to ravage Pennsylvania families, this bill would provide grandfamilies and kinship families greater access to cash benefits and uplift community-based efforts that address their unique needs.
“The opioid epidemic has forced so many grandparents to pick up the mantle to provide children with the support and stability they need, often following family trauma,” said Chairman Casey. “These caregivers may forgo their own needs to make sure there is food on the table for their children, and face poverty and other hardships because of it. My Grandfamilies Act will help relieve the financial pressure on these families, ensuring they have the resources and support they need to thrive.”
“My Congressional District historically has the highest percentage of children living with kinship caregivers in the country,” said Rep. Davis. “I am proud to join with Senator Casey in leading the Grandfamilies Act to increase the benefits and supports for grandparent and kinship caregivers. For these families, extra benefits via Social Security or TANF, however small, can be a lifeline. Supporting kinship caregivers strengthens families and helps children thrive.”
There are more than 2.7 million children in the United States that are being raised by grandparents and other relatives or close family friends, also known as kinship caregivers. Nearly 20 percent of grandfamilies live below the poverty line, and their limited resources can lead to chronic stress and mental health concerns among caregivers and children alike. The Grandfamilies Act will help alleviate this stress and financial pressure by expanding access to cash benefits for grandfamilies. Specifically, the bill will:
- Increase access to Social Security child’s benefits for grandfamilies and kinship families;
- Expand Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to make financial resources more accessible to grandfamilies and caregivers caring for a child with a disability;
- Promote temporary guardianship laws that enable grandparents and kin relatives to make important decisions on the child’s behalf;
- Ensure states are prepared to provide streamlined support to grandfamilies by establishing funding to help states develop plans to support grandparents raising grandchildren; and
- Provide competitive grants to support collaborative community-based efforts to provide mental health and peer support to grandfamilies.
Chairman Casey has been a fierce champion for Pennsylvania families as they’ve faced the opioid epidemic. Following a recent report detailing drug overdose death rates among Pennsylvanians under 40, he called for passage of the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act. The bill aims to combat the opioid crisis plaguing Pennsylvania communities by targeting the fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs from Mexico. Casey also repeatedly has urged the Biden Administration to push the Chinese government to crack down on the fentanyl supply chain within its borders.
Read more about the Grandfamilies Act here.
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