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Many 'kinship families' struggle to stay together

When Denise Chattams lost her home of 18 years in 2024, her family members had to split into pairs to stay where they could, forcing her to raise her elementary-aged niece and elderly mother, Mari, in cramped conditions.
Kinship families—where relatives raise children because parents are unable to do so—face systemic barriers including poverty, poor health, and a shortage of affordable housing with adequate space and accessibility features for aging caregivers.
Denise discovered her grandchild Imagine had developmental delays and speech difficulties requiring specialized therapies, and spent hundreds of dollars pursuing court proceedings before Imagine's parents eventually signed away their parental rights.
A 46-unit kinship housing hub with shared community spaces just opened in 2026, while research shows that kinship navigator programs connecting families to social services and reducing isolation improve long-term outcomes.
Kinship families save taxpayers at least $10.5 billion annually by keeping children out of foster care, yet policy gaps leave most without access to specialized child welfare services or housing assistance despite evidence that safe housing matters as much as medical care.

Insights by Ground AI