Grandparents face numerous stresses when they assume full-time responsibility for raising their grandchildren. One of the most tangible challenges is housing. Some elders are threatened with eviction from senior housing when they take in young children; others live in apartments strained beyond health and safety when children move in. Few grandparent caregivers have the financial resources to afford larger homes that can accommodate additional family members, and most affordable family housing is designed for younger, more physically fit parents.

In 1994, BAC-YOU (Boston Aging Concerns - Young & Old United, Inc.) established a collaborative GrandParents Caretaker Advisory Committee to address the housing, economic, and social issues affecting grandparent caregivers and the children they are raising. The first task was to develop a GrandFamilies House in Boston. As the first-in-the nation, this housing was designed specifically for grandparents raising grandchildren.

GrandFamilies House

Following a highly interactive community planning process led by a GrandFamilies House Task Force, the GrandFamilies House was co-developed by BAC-YOU and the Women? Institute for Housing and Economic Development. The project was funded through the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Boston? Department of Neighborhood Development (CDBG funds), Federal Home Loan Bank, low-income housing tax credits, Massachusetts Housing Partnership and private foundations and investors. Although rental preference will go to families eligible for Section 8 housing assistance, families of all income levels are welcome. Currently, the Grand-families House is comprised primarily of grandmothers raising their grandchildren.

The housing development includes 26 two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments in a four-story building, which offers architectural and program elements for elders and children. Examples include an elevator, grab bars in the bathrooms, child-safe electrical outlets, and a playground within view of many of the apartments. As the owner and manager of the building, BAC-YOU provides an on-site resident services coordinator and live-in house manager, sponsors grandparent caretaker support groups, and assists residents in accessing other social, health and educational services as needed. Additionally, the YWCA Boston includes teen residents in their existing programs and offers on-site pre-school and after-school educational and computer programs for children and physical fitness and support programs for seniors. All these programs are available to residents to Grandfamilies House, and will be offered to grandfamilies and other families living in the community as capacity allows.

Section 8 Rent Subsidies

To help address the housing needs of the many other "grandfamilies" in Massachusetts, BAC-YOU worked with the state Department of Housing and Community Development to become the first state to set aside 50 HUD Section 8 rent subsidies for use by grandparent-headed families. The Boston Housing Authority followed suit with 50 additional certificates. The certificates are available to individuals aged 50 or older who are raising children under 18 years of age through a kinship placement. Eligible grandparents will pay no more than 30 percent of their household income for rent, and BAC-YOU will provide outreach, eligibility screening, housing counseling and referral to support services for these families.

Conclusion

BAC-YOU is currently raising funds for an evaluation of these programs. In the interim, BAC-YOU will serve as liaison to other agencies that want to replicate all or part of their new and innovative GrandFamilies Housing Program. For more information, call BAC-YOU at (617) 266-2257.

© © 2003 National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center