Generations United-Policy Reform.pdf

Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children:An Action Agenda to Create

Affordable Housing Opportunities

Page ii Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: Affordable Housing Opportunities

Generations United

About Generations United (GU)

Generations United (GU) is the national membership organization focused solely onimproving the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerationalstrategies, programs, and public policies. GU represents more than 100 national, state, andlocal organizations and individuals representing more than 70 million Americans. Since1986, GU has served as a resource for educating policymakers and the public about theeconomic, social, and personal imperatives of intergenerational cooperation. GU acts as acatalyst for stimulating collaboration between aging, children, and youth organizationsproviding a forum to explore areas of common ground while celebrating the richness ofeach generation.

As part of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), GU was awardedtwo Innovative Grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administrationon Aging to establish the National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives RaisingChildren (National Center) to support the implementation of the NFCSP and to focus onall issues related to relative-headed families. The GU National Center seeks to improvethe quality of life of grandparents and other-relative caregivers and the children they areraising by addressing the unique needs of each generation. It provides a wide variety ofresources, technical assistance, and training to service providers and professionals acrossthe country, and educates policymakers on the importance of adopting intergenerationalpublic policies and programs.

Generations United1333 H Street, N.W., Suite 500W

Washington, D.C. 20005Phone: (202) 289-3979

Fax: (202) 289-3952Email: [email protected]

www.gu.org

The views expressed in this publication are for information, debate, and discussion, and do not necessarilyexpress formal policies of Generations United.

Photo Credits: Joan Lawrence, Rowena Scott-Johanson, Shari Augins, Joanne Brue, IneseAlvarez, Sheila Malkind, Maya Brooks, Richard Smith, Jessica Most, Kaja Snell, CarolOstrander, Ken McGraw, and Joanne Brue. Most of the photographs featured in thispublication are from Generation Uniteds annual Intergenerational Photography Contestsponsored by MetLife Foundation.

Suggested Citation: Generations United. (2005) Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: An ActionAgenda to Create Affordable Housing Opportunities. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Generations United, 2005Reprinting with permission only

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I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

II. Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

III. Arenas of Action & Critical Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1. LEGACY Fund and Implement It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Advocacy Develop Advocacy Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. Coalition Building Study Coalition Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. Financing Create Financial Resource Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5. Research and Analysis Develop Program Evaluation Strategies . . . . 5

6. Technical Assistance Resource Materials Create Toolkit and Educate Housing Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

IV. Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

A. The Families and Their Current Housing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Who Are These Families? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What Government Assisted Housing Options Exist for the Families? . . 10

Do the Families Face Problems Accessing These Housing Options? . . . 12

B. Developing Housing Specifically for the Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

What Are Some Considerations in Developing New Housing Programs for the Families? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Are There Any Helpful Laws Supporting this Housing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Are There Any Legal Barriers to Developing and Managingthis Housing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

What are the Funding Sources for this Housing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

C. The Existing Housing Programs for the Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

What Are The Existing Housing Programs Specifically for these Families? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Are There Lessons to be Learned from the Existing Programs? . . . . . . 35

V. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Symposium Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Table of Contents

Page iv Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: Affordable Housing Opportunities

Generations United (GU) gratefullyacknowledges the following dedicatedindividuals and funders whose work andsupport made possible the NationalSymposium on Housing for Grandparentsand Other Relatives Raising Children andthis resulting action agenda:

Charles W. Gould and Robin Keller ofVolunteers of America for their early helpand inspiration to do this project.

Jaia Peterson Lent, GUs Public Policy andOutreach Director, for her work to createaffordable housing opportunities for thefamilies, including successfully educatingCongress to enact LEGACY, writing one ofthe symposium discussion papers, andcoordinating the many details of thehousing symposium.

Ana Beltran, GUs Special Advisor andformer Director of GUs National Center onGrandparents and Other Relatives RaisingChildren, for her early and continuedefforts to create housing opportunities forthe families, including compiling andwriting much of this document and one ofthe discussion papers.

The rest of GUs staff, especially BrentElrod and Marlene Goldman, for helpingorganize the symposium.

The additional discussion paper authors,whose work makes up a great deal of thebackground section of this action agenda:Lori Collins Burgan, LCB ManagementConsulting, in collaboration with staff ofVolunteers of America, and Nancy Libson,American Association of Homes andServices for the Aging.

The grandparent caregivers, teenagerbeing raised by her grandmother, andprofessionals and practitioners who

participated in the symposium and whosework resulted in the thoughtfulrecommendations in this document.

The symposium planning committee mem-bers: Barbara Burnham, Local InitiativesSupport Corporation, Washington, D.C.;Donna M. Butts, Generations United,Washington, D.C.; Cylenthia Hoyrd Clark,Clark Consulting Services, Chicago, Illinois;Brent Elrod, Generations United, Washing-ton, D.C.; Evelyn Friedman, Nuestra Comuni-dad, Boston, Massachusetts; RichelleFriedman, Childrens Defense Fund, Wash-ington, D.C.; Amy Goyer, AARP, Washington,D.C.; Robin Keller, Volunteers of America,Alexandria, Virginia; Linette Kinchen,GRANDFamilies Program, Chicago, Illinois;Jaia Peterson Lent, Generations United,Washington, D.C.; Nancy Libson, AmericanAssociation of Homes and Services for theAging, Washington, D.C.; Dave Taylor,Presbyterian Senior Services, New York,New York; and Ruth White, Child WelfareLeague of America, Washington, D.C.

The City of Chicago, and particularlyCylenthia Hoyrd Clark and Barbara Bouie-Scott, for transporting and hosting the sym-posium participants at an inspiring tour of ahouse renovated for a grandparent-headedfamily. This single family home is part of alarger City intergenerational housing initiative.

John Oyler and Kynan Langenbeck withThe Institute of Cultural Affairs for theircaring facilitation of the symposium.

Finally, the Annie E. Casey Foundation,Fannie Mae Foundation, RetirementResearch Foundation, and Saint AnnFoundation, whose financial supportmade the symposium and this resultingaction agenda possible.

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Acknowledgments

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On January 1314, 2005 in Chicago,Illinois, Generations United (GU)convened the first national symposium toexplore ways to create affordable housingopportunities for grandparents and otherrelatives and the children they raise. The36 invited experts included grandparentcaregivers, a teenager being raised by hergrandmother, and professionals from manyfields. Some of the participants workfocused exclusively on helping relative-headed families, while others broughthousing expertise to the discussions andwere exploring the issues facing thesefamilies for the first time. The breadth ofbackgrounds resulted in a thoroughdiscussion of how best to achieve the goal ofcreating affordable housing opportunitiesfor grandparents, other relatives, and thechildren they raise. The participants reachedconsensus on six strategic arenas of action,along with corresponding projects to imple-ment them. The results of those fruitful twodays can be found in this action agenda.

Six months earlier, in July 2004, GU andsix co-sponsors convened a more general,comprehensive, national symposium ongrandparents and other relatives raisingchildren. Experts at that symposiumdiscussed all the major issues impactingthe families and what remains to be done tosupport each generation. Many recommend-ed action items resulted, several of whichconcern housing. With the Chicago sym-posium and this resulting action agenda,we are now accomplishing one of thoseJuly 2004 recommended action items:

(11) Hold a Housing Symposiumwith Key StakeholdersGU will host a housing symposium with keystakeholders to explore ways to increase

affordable, safe housing for relative caregiversand the children they raise. Key stakeholderswill include decision-makers from national,state and local housing developers and funders,public housing authorities, and the U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment; experts in the issues facinggrandparents and other relatives raisingchildren, and, of course, the caregivers andchildren themselves.

As with the symposium last summer,the participants at the housing symposiumintend that their thoughtful work result intangible accomplishments. As a result, thishousing action agenda is intended as ablueprint for a national, collaborativeeffort to increase affordable, safe housingfor grandparents and other relatives andthe children they raise, and a call to actionto anyone interested in joining the effort.

I. Introduction

Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children: Affordable Housing Opportunities

As of May 2005, work is already underwayto act on some of the recommendedprojects, while others are being discussedand funding possibilities explored. GU iscoordinating the national effort to imple-ment this action agenda, so please consultits website (www.gu.org) or staff forinformation on how to get involved.Contact information is at the beginningand end of this publication.

The symposium in Chicago and thisresulting action agenda build on GUsmany years of striving to increase afford-able housing opportunities for relative-headed families, including working toenact the first federal housing legislationspecifically for these families. This agendabegins with a brief celebration of this andother accomplishments to create housingopportunities for relative-headed families.It then sets forth the symposiumparticipants specific recommendations forarenas of action and correspondingprojects. Finally, the document containsextensive background informationconcerning the families, their housingchallenges, how to develop new housingprograms for them, the five specifichousing programs in existence, andlessons learned.

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In 1998, GrandFamilies House inDorchester, Massachusetts opened itsdoors as the first housing programspecifically for grandparents raisinggrandchildren. Building on its pioneeringwork, four more developments around thecountry have started operations for thesefamilies. Many more groups are planningand exploring ways to open additionalhousing programs too.

GU has been tracking and assistingthese housing programs, in addition toworking in other ways to create affordablehousing opportunities for grandparentsand other relatives raising children. In1998, a year after starting its nationalinitiative to support relative-headedfamilies, GU conducted a survey anddiscovered that affordable housing wasone of the families most seriousconcerns.1 It was then that GU started workto address their housing problems. In 1999and 2000, GU organized two Capitol Hillhousing briefings highlighting housingneeds and featuring the former ExecutiveDirector of the nonprofit that managedGrandFamilies House. GU also workedwith other organizations to successfullyenact a change to the federal HOMEhousing program that effectively allowsmore revenue to housing developmentsspecifically for older grandparents andother relatives raising children.

GUs early housing work culminated inLEGACY Living Equitably: GrandparentsAiding Children and Youth the firstfederal legislation to create affordablehousing opportunities for grandparentsand other relatives raising children.LEGACY takes its name from the powerfuldocumentary, Legacy, which was nominatedfor an Academy Award. Legacy tells the

compelling story of an inner-city grand-mother raising her five grandchildren.Their housing challenges are an integralpart of their lives they move from whatwas one of the most notorious anddangerous public housing projects in thecountry to a single-family home thataccommodates the children safely andsuitably. An outreach campaign aroundLegacy, which was conducted by OutreachExtensions, GU, and others, provided mini-grants to various sites around the countrythat help the families. The campaign alsoproduced a toolkit publication that raisedmedia and public awareness about relative-headed families and their challenges,including obtaining affordable housing.

Among the work necessary to ensurepassage of the LEGACY bill, ChildrensDefense Fund, AARP, Child Welfare Leagueof America, GU, and the NationalCommittee of Grandparents for ChildrensRights collaborated to organize the firstGrandRally on Capitol Hill. The 2003GrandRally to Leave No Child Behind was ahuge success with more than 850 care-givers and their supporters from 28 statescoming to tell federal lawmakers about thechallenges they face and how to helpthem. The caregivers told of the need foraffordable housing, and the usefulness ofthe LEGACY bill. Two months later,LEGACY became law.

Many state GrandRallies around thecountry have followed this event, and asecond national GrandRally is planned forSeptember 2005. This ground work is inplace to continue to educate federal andstate lawmakers about grandparents andother relatives, the children they raise, andtheir housing challenges.

II. Accomplishments


With these accomplishments in mind,the experts at the Chicagosymposium developed six strategic arenasof action, along with correspondingprojects, that will create affordablehousing opportunities for grandparents,other relatives, and the children they raise:

1. LEGACY Fund and Implement ItLEGACY, the only federal housing law forgrandparents and other relatives raisingchildren should be funded andimplemented. Since becoming law wellover a year ago, the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development (HUD)has failed to take significant steps toimplement it. The primary reason they citeis that the law calls for $10 million, but itdoes not have a specific appropriation.

In order to encourage HUD to takeaction, symposium participants agreed onfour steps to launch this project:

(1) Identify key federal legislators and educatethem on the importance of obtaining specificfunding for LEGACY. National nonprofitorganizations will work with grassroots groupsto accomplish this step.

(2) Coordinate a letter from the original LEGACYco-sponsors Senators John Breaux (D-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike DeWine(R-OH), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), DebbieStabenow (D-MI), and RepresentativeMichael Capuano (D-MA) to the relevantU.S. House of Representatives and Senateappropriations subcommittees.

(3) Bring in a grandparent caregiver for ahearing before the appropriationssubcommittees and/or a Capitol Hill briefingto bring visibility to the law and its need forfunding.

(4) Identify HUD allies and continue dialogues.

Symposium participants identifiedthree initial project goals:

(1) Obtain the $10 million appropriation forLEGACY.

(2) Strengthen the national coalition to implementLEGACY and identify key players.Symposium participants named GU, Volunteersof America, Catholic Charities, LutheranServices, National Church Residences, andAARP among the key players.

(3) Increase the grassroots efforts.

2. Advocacy Develop Advocacy PlanIn addition to advocating for LEGACY,

a general advocacy plan is needed tocreate affordable housing opportunities forgrandparents and other relatives and thechildren they raise.

Symposium participants identified foursteps to launch this project:

(1) Assemble a comprehensive group ofstakeholders, which must include the relativecaregivers themselves.

(2) Prioritize advocacy action items.

(3) Develop a timeline for action.

(4) Assign roles and responsibilities among thestakeholders.

Symposium participants identified fourinitial project goals:

(1) Develop and disseminate a fact sheet and otheroutreach materials for grassroots efforts.

(2) Obtain clear written guidance from HUD thatgrandparents and other relatives are notrequired to have legal custody of the childrenin order to obtain suitable housing.

(3) Identify federal, state, and local public officialswho have been raised by a relative or areraising related children.

(4) Include provisions in a federal child welfarefinance reform bill that will create additionalaffordable housing opportunities for thefamilies.

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III. Arenas of Action & Critical Projects


3. Coalition Building Study Coalition BuildingA study on the effectiveness of

coalition building is an essential first stepin encouraging the use of more coalitionsto create affordable housing opportunitiesfor grandparents and other relatives andthe children they raise. Symposium partici-pants, including the Executive Director ofthe Fairhill Center in Cleveland, Ohio,agreed that its planned Kinship2 Villagewould be one of the study subjects. TheKinship Village will consist of 25 unitshousing relative-headed families, amongothers, on the Fairhill Center campus.

Symposium participants agreed onfour steps to launch this project:

(1) Identify at least one other housing program inits early development stages.

(2) Evaluate Kinship Villages coalition buildingprogress to date.

(3) Survey existing projects and distill results.

(4) Identify local and national coalition members,and identify relevant existing resources.

Symposium participants identified fiveinitial project goals:

(1) Complete Kinship Village assessment.

(2) Survey other existing projects.

(3) Find funding sources for the project.

(4) Document first year progress.

(5) Complete two coalition building plans for ahousing programs (a) development phase and(b) supportive services.

4. Financing Create FinancialResource Kit A toolkit must be compiled on

financial resources for all phases ofproviding housing for grandparents andother relatives raising children:

development, management, andsupportive services.


(1) Identify and gather information on federal,state, and local funding mechanisms.

(2) Identify and gather information on privatefinancial institutions and philanthropicgroups.

(3) Compile and format information.

(4) Develop a dissemination plan.


(1) Publish a financing section in this actionagenda.

(2) Solicit information from housing coalitionnetworks regarding private sources of fundingfor this type of housing.

(3) Identify a key partner to take the lead onwriting the toolkit.

(4) Write a work plan to accomplish furtherobjectives.

5. Research and Analysis DevelopProgram Evaluation Strategies Strategies should be developed

concerning how to evaluate an overallhousing program for grandparents andother relatives raising children.

Symposium participants agreed on sixsteps to launch this project:

(1) Create an evolving template of outcomesto evaluate.

(2) Query existing housing providers for relative-headed families about data they wish theyhad gathered.

(3) Locate appropriate assessment tools andshare them.

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(4) Provide individual technical assistanceconsultation on cost, structure, funding, anddesign of these housing programs.

(5) Organize additional partners.

(6) Collaborate with local programs.

Symposium participants identified fiveinitial project goals:

(1) Analyze additional U.S. Bureau of the Census(Census Bureau) data on housing needs ofgrandparents and other relatives and thechildren they raise.

(2) Prepare a list of important outcomes to evaluate.

(3) Compile a list of all current and pendinghousing programs for these families.

(4) Identify available research, and conductadditional interviews of those running theseexisting housing programs.

(5) Identify potential funding sources.

6. Technical Assistance ResourceMaterials Create Toolkit andEducate Housing Community

Without duplicating the work of the financialtoolkit above, an overall toolkit using the

lessons learned from the existing housingprograms for grandparents and other rela-tives raising children should be developed.Individual technical assistance to the hous-ing community is also a critical component.


(1) Research best practices and lessons learnedfrom the five existing housing programs forrelative-headed families, in addition to the otherhousing programs in the final stagesof development.

(2) Develop a knowledgeable pool of legal expertswith HUD experience.

(3) Identify additional experts who, along with thelegal experts, will provide individual technicalassistance and training to the housingcommunity.

(4) Develop mechanisms to network staff andresidents from existing and planned housingprograms with these experts.


(1) Complete a toolkit of best practices and lessonslearned regarding all the steps (exceptfinancing) of a housing program for relative-headed families, including development,management, and supportive services.

(2) Disseminate toolkit.

(3) Establish an electronic list serve of key players,including the pool of experts.

(4) Start to provide individual technical assistanceand training to the housing community.

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Prior to agreeing on these arenas ofaction and corresponding projects,symposium participants discussed fourbackground papers they received inadvance. Those papers provided an over-view of relative caregiver families, housingfunding sources, building options, legalissues, housing management, services,and community supports. The papershelped focus and stimulate good discus-sions and thoughtful ideas, and providemost of the content for this section. Webegin with a brief look at the demographics,causal factors, and general issues facingrelative-headed families. Next, we explorethe families housing challenges, currenthousing options, how to develop newhousing programs for them, the fivespecific housing programs in existence,and lessons learned from those programs.

A. The Families and Their CurrentHousing Options

WHO ARE THESE FAMILIES?Grandparents and other relatives and

the children they raise span the racial,ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographicspectrum. However, the children in thesefamilies are more likely than other childrento be poor, lack health insurance, and havesocial and behavioral problems due to thecircumstances that led to the caregivingrelationship. The caregivers themselvesface their own likelihood of physical andmental health issues, frequently lack alegal relationship to the children, andconsequently have trouble accessingservices for the children in their care. As aresult of these and other challenges, thefamilies face unique barriers in findingaffordable housing.

The Families Are DiverseThroughout the United States, about

4.4 million children are living in house-holds headed by grandparents. An

additional 1.5 million children are living inhouseholds headed by other relatives,such as aunts or uncles. More than2.5 million of these children live ingrandparent- and other relative-headedhouseholds with no parent present.3

Children being raised by grandparentsand other relatives are ethnically andracially diverse. Data show that moreWhites are being raised by relatives thanBlacks, but Black children are more likelyto be raised by these caregivers. Unlike thestereotype of the single Black grandmotherraising her grandchildren in the inner-city,children in relative-headed families livethroughout the United States, and thehighest percentages are in the South andin non-metropolitan areas.4

As for the caregivers, their race, ethnicityand of course where they live mirrorthat of the children they are raising. Twenty-nine percent of grandparent caregivers areBlack; 17 percent are Hispanic; 3 percentare Asian; 2 percent are American Indianand Alaska Native; and 47 percent are non-Hispanic White.5

The Children Are More Likely to bePoor and Lack Health InsuranceA child who lives with a grandparent or

other relative as head of the household ismore likely to be living in poverty than achild whose parent is head of the house-hold. About 16 percent of children whoseparent is head of the household live inpoverty, whereas approximately 21 percentliving with grandparents, and almost25 percent living with other relatives do.6

Moreover, one in three children livingin grandparent-maintained homes in 1996had no health insurance, as compared withone in seven children in the overall childpopulation.7 The primary source ofinsurance coverage for children is throughtheir parents employers, thus making itmore likely for children to be covered when

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IV. Background


one or more parents live in the household.Moreover, relative caregivers are oftenunable to include the children they raiseon their private insurance unless they havechosen to adopt.

The Caregivers Make a Long-TermCommitmentThe vast majority of these caregivers

71 percentare under age 60. However, agreater percentage of those aged 60 andover (55 percent) have cared for theirgrandchildren for 5 years of more, com-pared with those younger than 60 (32 per-cent). Despite this difference, the overalltime commitment of most grandparentcaregivers is over three years. Thirty-ninepercent of all grandparent caregivers haveraised their grandchildren for five or moreyears, and another 15 percent have raisedtheir grandchildren for 3 to 4 years.8

There are Many Causal Factors forthis Caregiving RelationshipThe factors causing these caregivers to

raise children can happen to anyone, and,for that reason, there is great diversityamong the families. Some of the mostcommon factors include parentalsubstance abuse, military deployment,incarceration, death, poverty, HIV/AIDS,teenage pregnancy, and mental illness.

Most Families Are Not in theFoster Care SystemThe vast majority of relative-headed

families are not in foster care in the formalchild welfare system. Only about 131,000 ofthe children being raised by grandparentsand other relatives are in foster care.9

Although this number represents aboutone-fourth of all children in foster care, itis only about one-eighteenth of all thechildren being raised by grandparents andother relatives with no parents in thehome. If less than half of the 2.5 million

children being raised by relatives with noparents in the home were to enter fostercare, they would completely overwhelmthe system. Translated to dollars, if evenone million children being raised byrelatives (less than half) were to enterfoster care, it would cost taxpayers morethan $6.5 billion each year.10

For those families in foster care, accessto services, such as public housingassistance, can be easier than for thosenot in the formal system. The stategenerally has legal custody of the childrenin foster care, so caseworkers and judgesease entry into housing programs, inaddition to other services and benefits,such as schools and health insurance. Inorder to support the caregivers outside thesystem and their tremendous contributionstowards keeping families together, accessto affordable housing and other servicesneeds to be improved dramatically.

Many Caregivers Lack LegalRelationships and Have ProblemsAccessing Services One of the reasons access issues are

prevalent outside of foster care is becausemany of these children do not have a legalrelationship, like legal custody or guardian-ship, with their caregivers. They lack such arelationship for many reasons. Often theircaregivers may have difficulty finding anaffordable lawyer or they may not want togo through the expense, delay, and traumaof suing the birth parents for such arelationship. Without a legal relationship,caregivers may have trouble enrolling thechildren in school, accessing specialeducation services, consenting to medicaland mental health treatment, gettingfinancial assistance, obtaining healthinsurance coverage, and finding affordablehousing suitable for the children.

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The Caregivers and Children FaceHealth and Mental HealthChallengesIn addition to these access issues, both

the caregivers and children in these familiesface physical and mental health challengesto a greater degree than the general popu-lation. Caregivers are frequently stressedbecause they are caring for children at a timein their lives they did not expect to be andthey are often socially isolated from theirpeers. They may feel a sense of shame andguilt about their own adult children whoare unable to parent. Grandparent care-givers have been found to frequently sufferhealth problems like depression, diabetes,hypertension, insomnia, and gastricdistress.11 Furthermore, they are oftenunable to attend to their own medicalneeds due to a lack of daycare, respite careor adequate health insurance.

Unlike the several studies concerningrelative caregivers, there have beenrelatively few about the overall well beingof children in relative care. The existingfindings show that these children exhibit avariety of physical, behavioral, andemotional problems to a greater degreethan the general population of children,often due to the difficult situations thatcaused them to be placed in a grand-parents care. They have frequently beenexposed to drugs or alcohol in utero andmany of the children have special needs.12

Grandparents and other relative care-givers often do not know about the range ofsupports available through public healthinsurance programs, such as Medicaid orthe Childrens Health Insurance Program(CHIP), the mental health system orspecial education programs available toboth preschool and school age children.Even if they do know, they may be intimi-dated and frustrated by the burdensomerequirements attached to these various

service systems. Outreach and educationto get caregivers and children the servicesthey need are critical. Supportive services,such as counseling, support groups, andrespite care, are also very useful to both thecaregivers and children in these families.

The Families Have a CompellingNeed for Safe and AffordableHousingOne of the most critical access issues

for grandparents and other relatives andthe children they raise is the lack ofaffordable housing. Although housing is anissue for many Americans, grandparentand other relative caregivers face certainunique barriers:

They frequently take on caregivingresponsibilities with absolutely nowarning, let alone with 9 monthsto plan.

Many of these caregivers live on fixedincomes and/or in small apartments andhouses that are not suitable for children.

They may no longer be able to affordtheir apartments or houses afterassuming the extra expenses of raisingchildren.

Many caregivers are physically unable towalk stairs with children and strollers.

If they live in senior housing wherechildren are not allowed, they are oftensubject to eviction if the children arediscovered.

The presence of additional children mayviolate their private lease agreements.

If they do not have legal custody of thechildren, they are often unable toconvince the housing authorities torecognize their need for larger apartments.

While few studies have been completedon the housing issues affecting grand-

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parents and other relatives raisingchildren, data extrapolated from the 2000Census provides the following nationalstatistics on grandparent caregivers whoare renters:

Over 26 percent of grandparentcaregivers are renters (617,569)

17.4 percent spend at least half of theirincome on rent

48.1 percent spend 30 percent or moreof their income on gross rent (includesrent and estimated monthly costs ofutilities and fuel paid by renter)

28.2 percent live in overcrowdedconditions (more than one person perroom-Census Bureau definition)

More than 8,000 are without someessential kitchen or plumbing facilities

More than 60 percent of qualifying rentersare not receiving subsidized housing13

Additional data extrapolated from the2000 Census Supplementary Survey/

American Community Survey show thatgrandparent caregivers of various races andethnicities who live below the poverty linespend at least half of their householdincome on rent, and many lack subsidizedhousing:

52 percent of Non-Hispanic Whitegrandparent caregivers living below thepoverty line spend more than 50 percentof their household income on rent. Only26 percent of all Non-Hispanic Whitegrandparent caregiver renters livingbelow the poverty line receive housingsubsidies.

41 percent of Hispanic grandparentcaregivers living below the poverty linespend more than 50 percent of theirhousehold income on rent. Only28 percent of all Hispanic grandparentcaregiver renters living below thepoverty line receive housing subsidies.

24 percent of American Indian andAlaska Native caregivers living below thepoverty line spend more than 50 percentof their household income on rent. Only72 percent of all American Indian andAlaskan native grandparent caregiversliving below the poverty line receivehousing subsidies.

40 percent of Black grandparent care-givers living below the poverty linespend more than 50 percent of theirhousehold income on rent. Only half 50 percent of all Black grandparentcaregivers living below the poverty linereceive housing subsidies.14

WHAT GOVERNMENT ASSISTED HOUS-ING OPTIONS EXIST FOR THE FAMILIES?

Currently many grandparent and otherrelative-headed families qualify for severaltypes of government assisted housing.However, these families face a severe

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shortage of safe, affordable housing as domost other low income populations.15 Thelack of reasonably priced, large, three ormore bedroom units is an increasingproblem as the public housing systemincreasingly relies on the Section 8 voucherprogram for the provision of housing tolow income people.16 Furthermore, evenwhen assisted housing is available, often itis not designed with relative-headedfamilies in mind and does not includespecial features for both older people andchildren. Available housing rarely hassupportive services to help with themultiple barriers relative-headed and otherfamilies often encounter.

The following are commonly identifiedgovernment-assisted housing programs forwhich many relative-headed families couldqualify:

Section 8 Tenant-Based andProject-Based Rental AssistanceProgramsBoth HUDs Section 8 tenant-based

and project-based voucher programsprovide housing assistance to incomeeligible households. In the tenant-basedvoucher program, eligible householdsreceive a voucher and shop for housing inthe private rental market. For the project-based voucher program, the rentalassistance attaches to the building, notthe household. For both programs, thehousing generally must be below a certainpredetermined rent level, called the fairmarket rent, and must meet minimumhousing quality standards. HUD pays thedifference between 30 percent of thehouseholds income and the market rent.

The Section 8 tenant-based voucherprogram, in particular, can be appealing torelative-headed families. In theory, it canaccommodate changes in household size;once additional members are approved,the household can shop for a larger housing

unit in the private market. The reality maybe that recertification of the household toinclude the children may take a long timebecause of overworked local staff and mis-perceptions that the relatives need legalcustody of the children. In addition, available,affordable large units are the most difficulttype of housing to locate. Despite theseobstacles, however, the tenant-voucherprogram is still probably the most flexiblehousing program for this population.

Section 202 Housing The Section 202 program is the major

HUD funding source for nonprofit sponsorsworking to build subsidized rental housingfor the elderly. Rent subsidies are alsoprovided to make the units affordable tovery low income households. Householdswith one member 62 years of age or olderare given preference for Section 202 units,however, the program is open to otherhouseholds as well.

ECHO ProgramMuch of the housing assistance

currently available to grandparent- andother relative-headed families is forfamilies who rent their homes. Littleassistance is available for relatives insingle-family homes that are too small dueto the arrival of children. To address thehousing needs of traditional familycaregivers, Congress created the ElderCottage Housing Opportunity Program(ECHO). As the ECHO program is currentlyconfigured, funds can be used for theinitial purchase and placement costs ofsmall, free-standing, and barrier-freehousing units for older persons. The aim ofthe program is to allow older persons tolive near their relatives. Local publichousing authorities could adapt thisprogram to allow the addition of bedroomsto small caregiver homes to accommodatechildren who unexpectedly come into their

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care. In order to accomplish this adaptation,local public housing authorities shouldstate in their yearly Consolidated Plansand Action Plans that they will use theirHOME funds for this purpose. (Forinformation about HOME, please seepages 2829.)

Housing Programs Specifically forthe FamiliesIn response to the limited housing

options for grandparents and other relativesraising children, a few nonprofit developersand public housing authorities have reliedon various public and/or private financingsources to specifically design five housingdevelopments for the families. In 1998, thefirst housing program for grandparentsraising grandchildren, known as Grand-Families House, opened in Dorchester,Massachusetts. Since that time, a secondfacility opened in Dorchester, as didfacilities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, andthe South Bronx, New York, and sixteen unitsin two multifamily housing complexes inBuffalo, New York. Groups in many otherparts of the country are also exploring thedevelopment of new housing programs. Infor-mation concerning these programs can befound later in this background section.

DO THE FAMILIES FACE PROBLEMSACCESSING THESE HOUSING OPTIONS?

Yes. Although the handful of specifichousing programs for these families are anexcellent first step in responding to theneeds of the families, the vast majority ofstates in this country do not have suchdevelopments available. For those care-givers who do not have access to thesedevelopments, many face severe problemsaccessing government assisted housing.Most of the problems are caused by hous-ing officials who often unwittingly mis-understand or misapply the relevant laws.

Housing Authorities Misunder-standing of Familial StatusWhile there are some statutory and

policy obstacles facing relative-headedfamilies, most of the real barriers arecaused by lack of training and education.Many housing providers fail to understandthe needs of these families, and staff oftenmisinterprets HUD policy related tofamilial status because of notions of whatconstitutes a family. As a result, otherwiseeligible families are frequently turned awayby public housing authorities.

Many housing authorities are unlawfullyrequiring relative caregivers to have legalcustody or guardianship of the children intheir care in order to qualify for assistedhousing. The Federal Fair Housing Actprotects individuals and families fromdiscrimination on the basis of race, nationalorigin, color, religion, sex, familial status,and disability in all housing transactions,public or private.17 Familial status isdefined to include grandparents and otherrelatives raising children with or withoutlegal custody:

Familial status means one or more individuals(who have not attained the age of 18 years)being domiciled with

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(1) a parent or another person having legalcustody of such individual or individuals; or

(2) the designee of such parent or other personhaving custody, with the written permissionof such parent or other person.

The protections afforded against discriminationon the basis of familial status shall apply to anyperson who is pregnant or in the process ofsecuring legal custody of any individual who hasnot attained the age of 18 years.18

Furthermore, analyses of HUD housingprograms by the National Housing LawProject, memos from regional HUD offices,and at least one federal court decision,Hann v. Housing Authority of Easton, havefound restrictive definitions of family to bein violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The HUD Occupancy Handbookclarifies how family composition can beverified:

A. Owners may seek verification of familycomposition only if the owner has a clear,written policy. Verification is not required.

B. Owners may use a policy to verify familycomposition to determine whether childrenreside in the household 50 percent or moreof the time, as well as to determine theappropriate unit size for the family

D. If an owner determines it necessary toverify family composition, informationmay be collected from sources listed inAppendix 3.19

According to that Appendix, acceptablesources of verification are birth certificates;divorce actions; drivers licenses; employerrecords; income tax returns; marriagecertificates; school records; social securityadministration records; social serviceagency records; support payment records;utility bills; and Veteran Administrationrecords.20

Despite many anecdotes of relative-headed families being denied housing dueto the lack of legal custody of the children,the Fair Housing Act makes clear thatgrandparents and other relatives cannot berequired to have legal custody of thechildren in their care in order to qualify forhousing. To explain the policy to localhousing actors, local jurisdictions shouldaddress legal custody issues in their PublicHousing Administrative Plan, Section 8Administrative Plan, and ConsolidatedPlan.21

The Section 8 Family UnificationProgram (FUP) is another housing oppor-tunity that is underutilized by relative-headed households because of the inter-pretation of what constitutes a family. FUPis a program that gives priority Section 8vouchers to families who are at risk oflosing custody of their children because oftheir housing situation. Currentlygrandparent- and other relative-headedfamilies are not consistently treated asfamilies who would qualify for this program.Clarification that this program shouldallow relatives raising children to use thesevouchers would help the program continueto meet its goal of preventing childrenfrom entering foster care due to thehousing conditions of a family member.

Regardless of housing policies,grandparents and other relatives willcontinue to be unlawfully turned awayfrom existing affordable housingopportunities unless frontline housingstaff and the relative caregivers themselvesare educated on the legal custody issue asit relates to assisted housing.

Misapplied Age Restrictions Another common misperception is that

children are not allowed in elderly housing.Despite the fact that the Fair Housing Actprohibits discrimination against familiesbecause of children, there is widespread

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belief, even among housing experts, thatchildren are barred from Section 202elderly housing. However, the HUD Hand-book of Occupancy Requirements ofSubsidized Multifamily Housing Programsexplicitly states that owners may not excludeotherwise eligible elderly families withchildren from elderly properties. It furtherdirects that owners cannot exclude familieswith children or develop policies with thepurpose or effect of prohibiting children.22

The only exception to this policycomes from the Housing for Older PersonsAct which allows individual developmentowners or managers of privately owned seniors-only housing buildings to legally excludefamilies with children in buildings where atleast 80 percent of the units are occupiedby at least one person who is 55 years ofage or older. In such cases owners of thesebuildings are not required to make themchild-free developments, but do have thechoice to legally exclude children.23

Despite the flexibility of HUDs policyrelated to children in senior housing,grandparents and other relatives raisingchildren continue to face fear of evictionwhen children come to live with them insenior housing. In essence, many of thebarriers related to age restrictions arecaused by ignorance of actual policy,rather than HUD policy itself.

Occupancy Standards ObstaclesHUD standards indicate that, as a

general rule, an occupancy policy of twopersons per bedroom is reasonable; how-ever, the policy allows some flexibility andtakes into account special circumstances.Local policies that appear to be aimed atlimiting the total number of children ratherthan the total number of people aresuspect.24 Relative caregivers who arefoster parents face even stricter occupancystandards due to child welfare require-ments. For caregivers living in Section 202

elderly housing, which limits the maximumsize of housing units to two bedrooms, itmay be difficult to accommodate childrenin the small units. These families, however,should not be faced with immediate evictionif the childrens presence puts them inviolation of the occupancy standards.Section 202 regulations indicate that therental assistance payment with respect tothe relevant unit will not be reduced orterminated until the eligible householdhas been relocated to an appropriatealternate unit.

B. Developing Housing Specificallyfor the Families

WHAT ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS INDEVELOPING NEW HOUSING PROGRAMSFOR THE FAMILIES?

In order to develop new housingprograms in response to these housingchallenges and limited options, somepreliminary actions are critical. Volunteersof America one of the nations largestnonprofit providers of quality, affordablehousing for formerly homeless and lowincome individuals and families, theelderly, people with disabilities, and othersin need recommends the followingamong the first steps in developing ahousing program:

Identify the target population anddetermine the extent of their need.

Engage key, interested parties in theplanning and development stage.Experts in the field, as well asprospective participants, should beinvolved in determining how to bestmeet the needs of the target population.

Conduct a feasibility analysis to includesite selection, building plans, short andlong-term financial forecasts (bothexpenses and revenue), and staffingpatterns.

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Develop a plan for the provision andcoordination of services.

Identify the Target Market andDetermine NeedThe first step is identifying the target

market of grandparent (and other relative)caregivers, and surveying them concerningtheir housing preferences. The targetmarket can be identified with the help oflocal child welfare agencies, caregiver sup-port groups, community- and faith-basedorganizations, and/or others listed in thekey players section below. The target marketshould then be asked what type of build-ing(s) they prefer and what populationsthey think the housing should serve.

Many options exist for the type ofbuilding(s) that will comprise a housingprogram for grandparents and otherrelatives raising children. Some developersmay choose to renovate existing housingdue to funding limitations or otherconsiderations. Renovations may work wellor pose serious challenges to the design ofthe units and community space. Someprograms may build new housing andtherefore its developers can examinevarious possible designs, including high-rises, small buildings, single-family homesor two flats. Options also exist as towhether the development will be limited tograndparent-headed families, includeother relative-headed families, or will bemixed with parent-headed families, and/orthe elderly.

In addition to what is learned from theprospective tenants, it is of course critical

to be practical to their needs, in additionto the economic and demographic realitiesof the particular community. For example,a stand-alone project like GrandFamiliesHouse may be more difficult in smallercommunities where there may be lessconcentrated numbers of grandparentsraising grandchildren who need housing.

As examples of housing studies of thispopulation, below are results from one inChicago and another conducted in Bostonbefore building GrandFamilies House.

Chicago StudyIn April 2002, Century Place

Development Corporation (now HeartlandHousing) published A Study of GrandparentsRaising Their Grandchildren in Chicago.25 Fifty-eight grandparents in Chicago were surveyedin early 2002. The grandparent caregiverswere identified with the help of the IllinoisDivision of Children and Family Services.The survey focused on the social serviceand housing needs of grandparent-headedfamilies, the health of grandparents andgrandchildren in grandparent-headedhouseholds, and the interest of grand-parents in grandfamily housing.

When asked specifically about grand-family housing, 60 percent of grandparentssurveyed expressed an interest in living ingrandfamily housing. The majority of therespondents who expressed an interest ingrandparent housing 54 percent saidthey preferred a mixed-housing buildingcomprised of grandparent-headed andparent-headed families.

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Number Type of Housing of Grandparents Percentage

Single family housing or two flat 25 71 percent

Apartment in small building (9 units or less) 9 26 percent

Apartment in a large building (10 units +) 1 3 percent

NumberComposition of Grandfamily Housing of Grandparents Percentage

Entirely of grandparent-headed families 8 23 percent

Mix of grandparent-headed and parent-headed families 19 54 percent

Mix of grandparent-headed families and seniors 6 17 percent

Other 1 3 percent

Not Available 2 6 percent

An overwhelming number of respond-ents who showed an interest in grand-family housing preferred either single-family housing or a two flat (71 percent).

Boston StudyIn 1994, prior to building Grand-

Families House, its developers conducteda similar housing study of 50 grandparentscalled Raising the Next Generation, A Study ofGrandparents Raising Grandchildren in Boston.Seventy-five percent of the grandparents inthat study identified housing as a majorproblem in their lives:

Some grandparents were being evictedfrom elderly housing or from small apart-ments for taking in their grandchildren.

Many were no longer able to afford theirapartments after assuming the extraexpenses of raising their grandchildren.

Many were physically unable tonegotiate the stairs with children,strollers, more laundry and groceries.

Others were unable to convince the hous-ing authorities to recognize their need

for larger apartments because they didnot have legal custody, even when theyhad physical custody for several years.26

Based on the needs identified in thisstudy, GrandFamilies House wasdeveloped.

Collaborate with Key Players An informant in an evaluation of

GrandFamilies House may have overstatedher point, but it is an important caveat: aprogram such as GrandFamilies is themost complex affordable family housingyou could conceive of!27 As a result,collaboration among agencies withdifferent areas of expertise, sound financialbases, and a strong commitment toserving intergenerational caregiver familiesis critical.28

The involvement of the caregivers askey players is particularly important. Theyshould be empowered to take as muchownership in the program as possible.Providers should not assume they know theresidents needs. Instead, caregivers candirect how they want to be helped. Efforts


to involve residents in planning, buildingdesign features, setting and implementingpolicy must be genuine. A working tenantcouncil is critical. Periodic consumersatisfaction surveys are another helpfultool to ensure that feedback is not justcoming from those who are most vocal.

Because the affordable housing isscarce for all populations, additionaluseful early key players may includedisability housing and homeless groups.By informing them of a development forrelative-headed families at the initialstages, a program may succeed in avoidingthese groups potential opposition later.This approach worked well for developersof GrandFamilies House.

Conduct a Feasibility StudyAfter identifying the target market and

other key players, a thorough feasibilitystudy must be conducted before proceed-ing with a housing project. Considerationmust be given to site selection, buildingplans, neighborhood receptivity, character-istics of the target population, programpolicies and procedures, short and long-term financial forecasts (both expensesand revenue), and staffing patterns.

Develop a Service PlanThe service model generally used by

Volunteers of America housing programs isto offer residents individualized casemanagement supplemented with wrap-around supportive services. Through a casemanagement system, the familys needsare assessed, and the staff and participantthen work together to develop an individual-ized service plan that outlines the servicesto be accessed by the participant. Under-standing that the needs of those servedwill be great, Volunteers of Americahousing providers work to ensure that allthe services that may be needed will beavailable, provided either directly by the

housing project staff or indirectly throughreferral to community- and faith-basedorganizations. These services may includemental health care, substance abusetreatment, basic needs assistance, legal

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Key players may include: Prominent policymakers, such as the governor, state

representatives and senators, the mayor, and councilpersons

Grandparent (and other relative) caregivers, including thosewho are also support group leaders and advocates, and thechildren they raise

Local nonprofits experienced in providing supportive servicesto grandparents and other relatives raising children, such as astate office of AARP, a Brookdale Foundation Relatives AsParents Program (RAPP) site29, a GU KinNET site30, a GU/Brookdale behavioral health model site,31 and other community-and faith-based organizations

Local and state health departments and community health clinics

Legal aid clinics and local law schools with clinical programs

Public school systems

Police departments

The relevant Area Agency(ies) on Aging that may providesupportive services to grandparents and other relatives raisingchildren under the National Family Caregiver Support Program

The State Unit on Aging

Local and state social services or human services departments

Child welfare agencies

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and its affiliateNational Equity Fund, Inc., which have done a lot of work forgrandparent housing

Financial institutions

Housing developers

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Local and state housing authorities

Media, including local newspapers, and radio and televisionstations

Large, national corporations, such as Microsoft, or localbusinesses that may donate in-kind products or services


assistance, educational/tutoring support,child care, after-school care, transportation,support groups, life skills training, medical/dental care, recreation, and community-building activities.32

Community Action Agency (CAA) isanother nonprofit organization with a longhistory of providing affordable housing forlow income populations. CAAs concur thatoffering a continuum of supportive servicesfor residents through partnerships withother service providers is critical.33

The public housing sector, likewise,has figured out that providing affordablehousing must involve more than justmanaging units. Given the multitude ofneeds facing residents and their isolationfrom other communities, experts in the fieldadvocate that it is mandatory that publichousing providers ensure the provision ofsupportive services and involve residentsin planning and decision-making.34

One of the biggest mistakes of well-intentioned new housing providers is tounderestimate the needs of the targetpopulation. Established housing providersunderstand that the needs of those beingserved will be complex and multi-layered.Therefore, the housing must be service-rich; that is, it must ensure that a fullcomplement of supportive services isavailable to meet the needs of residents. Insome cases, the housing provider contractswith another organization to provide thesocial services. When doing so, it isimportant that the roles, responsibilities,and relationships be clearly delineated inwriting. When taking on the responsibilityfor social services themselves, effectivehousing providers have learned to cultivatereferral relationships with a myriad ofservice providers, community-based andfaith-based organizations, thereby makinga full array of services available to theirresidents. For new housing providers who

have not yet established partnerships withother service providers, organizations suchas United Way, the City/County Departmentof Human Services, and the AreaAgency(ies) on Aging can be helpful inproviding a list of local service providers.

Other best practices among manyproviders of affordable housing include:

The use of a resident manager model, inwhich a person lives on-site andresponds to emergencies at night andon weekends in exchange for freehousing and, usually, a small salary.Occasionally, the person works as a casemanager or in another staff position atthe housing complex. In other instances,it may be a maintenance position.

Ensure adequate funds will be availablefor security, maintenance, andcontingencies.

To the fullest extent possible, ensurestability of staff as a means to fostertrust and continuity of services withresidents.

The experience of professionals whoare providing services other than housingfor relative caregivers can provide valuableguidance for housing providers. The CaseyFamily Programs recently conducted astudy to determine what resources kinship35

families need to thrive. In addition to aliterature review, they visited 14 (non-housing) kinship programs in 8 urban sites[Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, LosAngeles, Atlanta, San Antonio, BatonRouge, and the Bay Area in California(Walnut Creek)], conducted 33 caregiverinterviews, and 20 interviews with children.Among the findings were:

While financial assistance is one of themost critical needs of relative-headedfamilies, they are not maximizing govern-ment resources such as Temporary

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Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)child-only grants and food stamps, oftendue to either a lack of awareness of theireligibility for the programs or the stigmaassociated with applying for them.

Caregivers and children listed their mostpressing service needs as support groups,respite care, medical care/assistance, andemergency relief. Regarding supportgroups, many of the caregivers explainedthat this service has been genuinelyhelpful to them. When they participatein the groups, they no longer feel alone:they can share concerns with othersexperiencing similar situations and getideas for handling problems.36

Administrators and program staff listedthe most important needs of caregiversto be support groups, legal assistance, andemergency funds; they also identified follow-up services, counseling, information andreferral, and advocacy.

For children and youth, administratorsand program staff named necessarysupport services to be recreational andsocial activities, teen support groups, culturalevents, day/summer camps, educationaltutoring, planned social events with birthparents, certification for enrollment in managedhealth care, and leadership training.

The youth who were interviewed almostunanimously felt safe, secure, and lovedby their current caregiver, with 90 per-cent reporting they felt loved where theyare all the time, and 80 percent report-ing they felt like part of a family. How-ever, when asked if they wanted theircurrent home to become permanent,only 11 out of 20 (55 percent) said yes.37

In a similar 2001 study, The UrbanInstitute interviewed and made site visitsto alternative (non-housing) kinshipprograms to determine, among other things,

what services are needed by this popula-tion.38 In addition to many of the sameservice needs identified above, this studyalso noted the following critical services:

Mental Health/Emotional Support:Caregivers identified emotional supportfor themselves as their most criticallong-term need, both to help them dealwith the stress of their new role and torelieve their sense of isolation. Similarly,they felt that mental health counselingfor the children in their care wasimportant to helping them deal withtheir transition.

Affordable child care and tutoring for children.

Safe and accessible transportation: This isimportant to help children andcaregivers get to medical appointmentsand to supportive services. Whenavailable, public transportation is oftenconsidered by grandparents to beunsafe or too taxing physically.

Case Management: This is a helpful tool fororganizing services and following-up on

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referrals using a strength-basedapproach.39

The consensus of these studies and areview of other research related to the needsof relative-headed families indicate severalkey services that potential housing providersshould consider providing on-site:

Support Groups: These are seen asextremely beneficial for severalpurposes: to provide comfort to care-givers by interacting with others in asimilar situation; to give respite; and tofacilitate important information-sharingopportunities.

Mental Health Services, both for thechildren and the caregivers.

Case Management

Transportation

Educational workshops on topics such asteaching grandchildren about sex, HIVand drugs, dealing with shame andguilt, helping children cope with griefand loss, dealing with problembehaviors, adjusting to a loss ofprivacy, tax issues, and helpingchildren build self-esteem.

Other supportive services to beprovided on-site or through referral shouldbe determined based on the particularneeds of the target population.

Address Key ChallengesSeveral key challenges must be

addressed when designing housing withsupportive services for grandparents andother relatives raising children:

This is an extremely heterogeneousgroup.

The population is as diverse as ahousing population could possibly be,with caregivers ranging from their 30s totheir 80s, and children ranging from

infants to late teens. Not surprisingly, theneeds of the population are similarlydiverse. For example, younger caregiversmay need child care so they can continueto work, while older caregivers may needrespite care and medical care for them-selves. Toddlers will need safe playgroundspace, while older children and teens willneed active indoor/outdoor space, such asbasketball courts and a communitygathering room. Housing providersshould assume that the essential servicesoutlined above will need to be provided(i.e., support groups, mental healthservices, case management, transportation,and educational workshops related to thechallenges of raising children); however,other supportive services will have to betailored to the particular needs of thehousing residents.

Services must be designed based onresidents needs and input.

Given the heterogeneous nature of theresidents, the array of supportive serviceswill vary greatly from one housing complexto the next. One of the most commonthemes from the research and from inter-views with those working with relative-headed families is that residents absolutelymust be involved in determining whatservices will be provided. This involvementshould begin during the housing planningand development stage.

The children and caregivers may haveunresolved mental health problems.

Grandparents and other relative care-givers may have mental health problemsthat need to be addressed, and, with veryfew exceptions, children of all ages inrelative-headed families are going to bedealing with feelings of abandonment.Given the myriad of reasons contributingto children not being raised by their own

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parents, children may suffer from feelingsof anger, sadness or low self-esteem. Theseparation they have experienced fromtheir birth parent probably will have takena psychological toll on the children. Thishas far-reaching implications for allaspects of program implementation:mental health counseling and supportgroups should be readily available;problem behaviors must be expected; andcontinuity of staff is critical to prevent anexacerbation of abandonment issues. Thisis an especially big challenge in fillingfront-line positions, which are often high-turnover and entry level. It must bestressed to potential staff candidates howcritical this consistency is to the well-beingof participants.

Grandparents have generally alreadyraised one or more children.

While this fact should be considered astrength in many respects, it also createsstaffing and programming challenges sincethe professionals running the housing andsupportive services may have less parentingexperienceat least in quantitative termsthan many of the caregivers. Thus, it isessential that the caregivers beacknowledged for their years of parentingexperience and shown respect for thesacrifices they are making to embark onparenthood again. Careful attention mustbe given to how educational workshops arepresented so that caregivers do notperceive staff to be condescending. Forexample, instead of offering parentingclasses, the provider could identify theclasses by topic, e.g., understandingtodays teen, talking with yourgrandchildren about sex, HIV and drugsand effective discipline.

A general social services best practicesapproach is to ensure that the compositionof the staff reflects the population being

served. For example, some programs havefound it effective to hire staff, particularlycase managers, who are relative caregiversthat share socioeconomic and demo-graphic characteristics with participants.This practice helps to promote empathyand trust. Having access to interpretersto address language barriers may alsobe important.

ARE THERE ANY HELPFUL LAWSSUPPORTING THIS HOUSING?

Yes. There are a couple of helpful laws.

HOME Rent WaiversGU and others worked to educate

Congress about the need for a change toexisting federal housing law that wouldsupport GrandFamilies House, in additionto new housing programs for elderly grand-parents and other relatives raisingchildren.40 In 2000, Congress enacted thechange into law. It allows a project ownerto apply for a waiver so rents can rise tofair market value for (1) eligible familieswho live in units supported by Section 8subsidies (2) within a housing programthat also receives HOME funds. (Forinformation about HOME, please seepages 2829.) In order to be eligible, adwelling unit must house at least oneelderly person who is the head of thehousehold and is raising grandchildren,great grandchildren, great nieces, and/orgreat nephews; the unit cannot include anyparents of these children. Please note thatthe rent increase is paid by the govern-ment, not by the tenants.

The problem prior to passage of thislaw was that although tenant-basedSection 8 vouchers allow rents to be fairmarket value, if the property also receivedHOME funds, rents were restricted to HOMElevels, which are often lower. This decreasein revenue was a serious challenge to

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GrandFamilies House. It was experiencingan annual operating deficit of approximate-ly $38,000, which was jeopardizing its long-term sustainability. The feasibility ofdeveloping additional housing programsfor grandparents and other relativesraising children was also a challenge. Thewaiver allowed GrandFamilies House toobtain fair market value for its rents, whichat the time the law was enacted, meantroughly $54,000 a year in revenue.

LEGACYIn response to the identified need for

affordable housing assistance for grand-parents and other relatives raisingchildren, GU worked with a team of expertsto develop language and promote federalhousing legislation for relatives raisingchildren called LEGACY-Living Equitably:Grandparents Aiding Children and Youth.The legislation included five majorprovisions to assist with housing needs,three of which were passed and signedinto law in December 2003 as part of theAmerican Dream Downpayment Act.

The provisions that became law call forHUD to:

(1) develop and distribute grants fordemonstration projects to createhousing for grandparents and otherrelatives raising children;

(2) provide training to housing officials onissues facing relatives raising children;and

(3) work with the Census Bureau to con-duct a national study of the housingneeds of grandparents and otherrelatives raising children and makerecommendations based on the study.

The passage of this law represents asignificant milestone for advocates ofhousing for relative-headed families andpresents an opportunity for federalsupport for such housing. However,despite the fact that the LEGACY housingprovisions were signed into law well over ayear ago, HUD has failed to take significantsteps toward their implementation. Co-sponsors of the bill have written HUD tourge prompt implementation, but moreadvocacy will be needed to ensure HUDtakes action and funds are secured forLEGACY demonstrations.

ARE THERE ANY LEGAL BARRIERSTO DEVELOPING AND MANAGINGTHIS HOUSING?

Yes. There are some barriers to beovercome.

Fair Housing ActAlthough the Fair Housing Act prohibits

discrimination on the basis of familialstatus, thereby allowing grandparent- andother relative-headed families to accesshousing, it can also provide challenges tohousing programs specifically for thesefamilies. Fair housing can raise the issue ofhow do you target relative-headed familieswithout renting to parent-headed familieswho apply? Or, how do you prioritize the

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elderly for these projects? For someprograms, these issues have not come up.For others, they are barriers that wereovercome. And, for one program in NewJersey, fair housing concerns werereportedly serious enough to cancel theirplans to build housing for grandparent-headed families.

In building GrandFamilies House, thedevelopers encountered difficulties withtheir plans to target the specific popula-tion by age and family type elderlygrandparent-headed families undergeneral fair housing, affirmative marketing,and tenant selection laws.41 HUD, like theMassachusetts Department of Housingand Community Development, wasconcerned about potential lawsuits fromother families and age groups. Despiteconcerns, the State eventually allowed theGrandFamilies House program to goforward without requiring the developersto seek a waiver from HUD to target thesespecific families by age. No lawsuits haveever been threatened or filed, so theconcerns did not materialize.

GrandFamilies House ended up target-ing first to elders aged 62 and over andsecond to near-elders 5061. The variousgovernmental agencies involved definedelderly differently: the State defined itas 60; the City of Boston as 55; and HUDas 62. None of these agencies definednear-elderly, so the developers defined thisterm to suit their objective of serving oldergrandparents raising grandchildren whoare not quite elderly. By putting an agelimit, they hoped to focus on thosegrandparents who may have a greater needfor supportive services than those in their30s or 40s.

Like GrandFamilies House, the issuesof targeting by age and family type alsoarose for a new housing program forgrandparent caregivers just opened in the

South Bronx, New York. HUD and the NewYork Division of Housing and CommunityRenewal were concerned about targeting.The developers had originally wanted totarget grandparents aged 60 and older, butthe attorneys involved did not approvethis age limit. They changed it to HUDsdefinition of the elderly 62 and older.HUD implicitly approved the limit, and thestate was satisfied.

For the Bronx project, the more seriousconcerns about targeting by age and familywere raised when the developers soughtLow Income Housing Tax Credits.Fortunately, the independent attorneyissuing the opinion letter concluded thatthe targets were permissible under the FairHousing Act. He made his conclusionbased upon the precedent of housingprograms specifically for individuals withAIDs. It is interesting to note that whenGrandFamilies sought Low IncomeHousing Tax Credits, the targeting issuesdid not arise again.

Like most problems in business andgovernment, these types of issues are verydependent on the players involved, theirflexibility, and knowledge of the relevantrules and regulations. What may be aproblem for one housing program maynever arise for another.

Tenant Rules and ProceduresInsufficient tenant rules and

procedures can pose a serious challenge toa successful housing program for relativesraising children. Therefore, written rulesand procedures must be developed andwell-communicated to tenants. Theyshould address tenant violations,including failure to pay rent and whetherparents may live in the unit. Proceduresneed to be clear about where to transitiongrandparents, other relatives, and/orchildren when they no longer qualify forthe housing program, and how to handle

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family crises, such as a relatives sickness,hospitalization or death. Tenant rules andregulations must also address the legalquestion of whether providers can requireresidents to participate in casemanagement and other supportive servicesas a condition of residency. This has beena cause of concern for some housingproviders who have found that, while theycan state in the program policies thatparticipation in supportive services is arequirement of residency, residents cannotactually be evicted for failure to participatein these services.

Management staff at GrandFamiliesHouse have reported problems due toinsufficient rules and procedures:

Some [tenants] have allowed people who werenot on the lease, such as their grandchildrensparents or other adult family members, to livewith them. Illegal tenants have dislocatedgrandchildren from their own bedrooms, withthe result that children are sleeping in livingrooms. Some residents have allowed guests tobring illegal substances into units.42

The South Bronx program has developedthorough rules and procedures, which willundoubtedly contribute to its success.These include procedures for allowinganother caregiver (not the grandchildrensparents) to assume the lease if the grand-parent dies, and allowing parents to visitthe grandchildren, provided they are not inviolation of any court orders. Managementplans to have an active resident counciland to keep track of the family situationsinvolved, and the applicable court ordersfor visitation, etc.

WHAT ARE THE FUNDING SOURCES FORTHIS HOUSING?

Like most resources for affordablehousing, potential funding for building orrenovating housing for grandparents and

other relatives raising children does notmatch the demand. The demand forhousing for these families has increaseddramatically over the years and willcontinue to rise. However, there is onlyone federal housing program specificallydirected to grandparent and other relative-headed familiesLEGACYand it has notyet received an appropriation. This doesnot mean that existing federal, state, andlocal programs cannot be tapped ortailored toward meeting this demand witha little hard work. This section explores thearray of potential sources of funding forhousing production and operations,including sources of rental assistance andgap financing.

Section 202 HousingThe Section 202 Supportive Housing

for the Elderly program was established in1959 and remains the only direct financingresource for construction of housing forthe elderly. Todays Section 202 grantprogram provides capital advance funds tononprofit organizations, as well as rentalassistance to subsidize the operatingexpenses of the developments.

There are more than 300,000 Section202 units in over 3,500 developmentsacross the United States.43 According toAARP, there are currently more than nineseniors on waiting lists for each availableSection 202 unit.44 The loss of manyfederally-subsidized housing units, includ-ing the early Section 8 developments, hasmeant a significant decline in the numberof units affordable to low income seniors.

Qualified tenants generally must be atleast 62 years old and have incomes lessthan 50 percent of their area median (i.e.,be very low income). Some facilities have apercentage of units designed to be access-ible to non-elderly persons with mobilityimpairments or may serve other targeted

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disabilities. While primarily considered aprogram for the elderly, grandparents andother relatives who are raising children areeligible residents if there are two bedroomunits in the property.

LEGACY The LEGACY Act is the only federal

program solely devoted to the develop-ment of housing for grandparents andother relatives raising children. TheLEGACY Act program is a small demon-stration within the Section 202 program,which authorizes $10 million and allowsthe HUD Secretary to grant nonprofitorganizations the ability to develophousing for relative-headed families withinor near Section 202 developments. Notless than two and no more than four suchprojects are authorized by the law. It endsthe demonstration after five years.

Tenant-Based Rental AssistanceHUDs Section 8 tenant-based voucher

program provides housing assistance toincome eligible households. Householdsthat receive a voucher shop for housing inthe private rental market. Generally, thishousing must be below a certain pre-determined rent level, called the fairmarket rent, and must meet minimumhousing quality standards. HUD pays thedifference between 30 percent of thehouseholds income and the market rent.

Project-Based Rental AssistanceThough not technically funding for

construction or development, Section 8project-based vouchers are the principalsubsidy that supports the acquisition and/or rehabilitation of affordable housing.Lenders view the rental assistance, whichlike tenant-based vouchers pays thedifference between 30 percent of a familysincome and the actual rent for an apartment,as security for any loan and for investors intax credit deals. The rental subsidy stays

with the project whether or not the originaltenant remains in the project.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s,the federal government signed contractswith private owners of real estate toprovide rental subsidies, which wereattached to the property, to help pay thecost of operating affordable housing forlow income families. Hundreds ofthousands of affordable housing unitswere built. Property owners guaranteedthat the apartments would remain afford-able to low income families and seniors fora period of time outlined in their contracts,usually between 20 and 40 years. TheseSection 8 contracts began expiring in themid-1990s. When they expire, propertyowners may choose to discontinue (or optout) of their contracts or to renew theircontracts on a yearly basis, although somelonger-term contracts are possible. Sincethe mid-1990s, more than 200,000 units ofhousing with project-based assistancehave been lost from the overall portfolio asowners have prepaid their mortgages andhave opted out of their contracts.45 Inareas with tight and expensive rentalmarkets, owners may receive higher rentsthan they would receive from HUD oncethey are not constrained by therequirements of subsidized mortgages andSection 8 contracts.

Despite these losses, more than1.4 million households remain subsidizedwith project-based Section 8 assistance.Two-thirds of these households includepersons who are elderly or disabled.46

Many of the properties may now be defacto housing for relatives raising children.HUD has a number of tools that helppreserve this housing stock and protectresidents from exorbitant rent hikes. Thesetools include providing tenants withenhanced market rate vouchers whenrents increase because owners prepay the

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mortgage or leave the Section 8 program.47

The enhanced vouchers pay the differencebetween 30 percent of the tenants incomeand the new rent, even if that rent is higherthan the payment standard. The enhancedvouchers permit current tenants to remainin place, although the enhanced assistanceis lost if the tenant moves.

Recent Project-Based RentalAssistanceIn the 2001 HUD appropriations bill,

public housing authorities (PHAs) weregiven the authority (but are not required)to project-base up to 20 percent of theirtotal Section 8 rental assistance voucherallocations. Like the old Section 8 projectbased contracts, these project-basedvouchers remain attached to the structureand cannot move with the tenants. Also,like the other forms of Section 8 assist-ance, these vouchers pay the differencebetween 30 percent of a familys incomeand the rent on the unit.

While project-based vouchers awardedto family projects may not exceed 25 per-cent of the units, these vouchers may cover100 percent of the units for projectsspecifically designed for seniors. The initialterm of the contract is 10 years, subject toannual appropriations, and the PHA canagree to renew the contract to achievelong-term affordability of the housing.Project-based Section 8 assistance may beone answer to providing affordablehousing for grandparents and otherrelatives raising children.

HOPE VISince 1993, HOPE VI has been the

engine driving the revitalization of thenations most distressed public housingdevelopments. It provides PHAs with grantsto address the housing and social serviceneeds of public housing residents. Grantsare available to housing authorities that

generally enter into partnerships withdevelopers and sponsors of affordablehousing to revitalize public housing. Thishousing is now home to many very lowincome grandparents and other relativesraising children. Key objectives of theprogram include: (1) changing the physicalshape and isolation of distressed publichousing developments and integratingthem into surrounding neighborhoods;(2) reducing concentrations of poverty bycreating mixed-income communitieswhere new public housing and market-ratehousing exist side-by-side; (3) establishingsupport servicessuch as education andtraining programs, childcare, and transpor-tation servicesto address the manychallenges faced by those residing indistressed communities; and (4) forgingpartnerships that involve public housingresidents, state and local governmentofficials, the private sector, nonprofitgroups, and the community at large inplanning and implementing improvementsin public housing developments andsurrounding communities.

HUD FHA Multifamily Insurance-Section 221(d)(4)The mainstay of multifamily develop-

ment is the FHA insurance program,sp

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