Generations United Applauds the Creation of National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families in the American Rescue Plan Act

by Ana Beltran and Jaia Lent

Generations United applauds the passage yesterday of the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319) which includes critical relief to children, families and older adults. Among its provisions, we are thrilled that it provides $10 million for the first ever National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families. Having worked together for over twenty years to help support and elevate the voices of grandfamilies, we at Generations United have long advocated for such a Center to holistically assist the many systems impacting grandfamilies so their services and supports are accessible, leveraged, and maximized.

Three crises — the COVID pandemic, the opioid epidemic and the long history of racial injustice in our country — have heightened the challenges and elevated the essential work of grandparents, other relatives, and close family friends in keeping children safe, stable, and connected to community and culture. This federally supported resource will help state, local and community based systems better serve the growing numbers of grandfamilies who raise children when parents cannot.

Generations United extends special appreciation to the many Congressional leaders who have been dedicated champions over the years for grandfamilies. Thanks to those who demonstrated their critical support for Technical Assistance Center including: Senators Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey, Patty Murray and Ron Wyden and Representatives Danny Davis, Richard Neal, and Bobby Scott.

We look forward to collaborating with other leaders in the field to help ensure this new resource effectively improves quality of and access to the full range of supports and services to help caregivers and children thrive.

The Center will be established through the Administration for Community Living and will provide training, technical assistance, and resources for government programs, nonprofit and other community-based organizations, and Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations, that serve grandfamilies and kinship families.

Among its provisions to help children, families and older adults, the American Rescue Plan Act also includes more than $1.4 billion in supports and services for older adults, $40 billion for child care, $350 million for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, $150 million of Home Visiting Programs, $10 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and increases the child tax credit amount and makes it available to parents or kin caregivers who do not earn enough to pay taxes.

Generations United will post a more detailed summary of these and other relevant provisions to our Medium Blog soon.

Ana Beltran and Jaia Lent are co-directors of the National Center on Grandfamilies