Grandfamilies.org

One of the most critical access issues for grandparents and other relatives and the children they raise is the lack of affordable housing. Although housing is an issue for many Americans, grandparent and other relative caregivers face certain unique barriers:

Currently many grandparent and other relative-headed families qualify for several types of government assisted housing. However, these families face a severe shortage of safe, affordable housing as do most other low income populations.[1] The lack of reasonably priced, large, two or more bedroom units is an increasing problem as the public housing system increasingly relies on the Section 8 voucher program for the provision of housing to low income people.[2] Furthermore, even when assisted housing is available, often it is not designed with relative-headed families in mind, does not include special features for both older people and children, and rarely has supportive services to help with the multiple barriers these families often encounter.

In response to the limited housing options for grandparents and other relatives raising children, a few nonprofit developers and public housing authorities have relied on various public and/or private financing sources to specifically design housing developments for the families. In 1998, the first housing program for grandparents raising grandchildren, known as GrandFamilies House, opened in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Many lessons were learned from this pioneer and seven years later, in 2005, the first new ground-up construction for grandparents raising grandchildren started serving families in the South Bronx, New York. That development – known as GrandParent Family Apartments – has 50 apartments (40 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom) in a six-story, 66,470 square-foot building. The apartments and building are designed to respond to the needs of older caregivers, youth, and children. Design elements include wide hallways, emergency buzzers in each unit, handrails in the bathrooms and hallways, laundry facilities on each floor, and extensive community space with separate rooms for caregivers, youth, and young children. In that space, comprehensive on-site services are available, including educational before- and after-school activities, support groups, and case management. The development also features extensive 24 hour security, including multiple staff at the front desk verifying identities and cross referencing visitors with court orders. As of 2010, another program in Dorchester, Massachusetts and one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are also serving these families. Many other groups around the country are contemplating building their own developments.

As part of the American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000, 42 U.S.C. section 12745(a)(6)(A) and (B) was passed. This provision allows a project owner to apply for a waiver so that rents can rise to fair market value for (1) a dwelling unit supported by section 8 subsidies that houses at least one elderly person who is the head of the household and is raising grandchildren, great grandchildren, great nieces, and/or great nephews (2) within a housing program that also receives HOME funds. HOME is a federal block grant program that provides resources to states, localities, and non-profit housing sponsors to meet low income housing needs. The problem prior to passage of this law was that although tenant-based Section 8 vouchers allow rents to be fair market value, rents were restricted to often-lower HOME levels if the property also received those federal funds. This decrease in revenue was a serious challenge to GrandFamilies House. It was experiencing an annual operating deficit of approximately $38,000, which was jeopardizing its long-term sustainability. The feasibility of developing additional housing programs for grandparents and other relatives raising children was also a challenge. The waiver allowed GrandFamilies House to obtain fair market value for its rents, which at the time the law was enacted, meant roughly $54,000 a year in revenue. This increased revenue allowed for the continued viability of GrandFamilies House, and facilitates the development of additional grandfamilies housing.

LEGACY, Living Equitably: Grandparents Aiding Children and Youth Act of 2003, Public Law 108-186, was enacted in December 2003 as part of the American Dream Downpayment Act. When LEGACY became law, it authorized $10 million to accomplish its objectives, but because it lacked a specific appropriation, HUD failed to take significant steps to implement it. Almost two years later, in November 2005, $4 million was specifically earmarked for its implementation. GU successfully worked with Members of Congress, including Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to obtain funding so that HUD could implement LEGACY.

In December 2008, two demonstration grants were awarded to expand “intergenerational” housing for grandparents or other relatives aged 62 or more who are raising child(ren). The age limitation exists because these grant funds are available under the federal elderly housing program, known as section 202. HUD awarded a total of $3,906,964 to a demonstration project in urban Chicago and another in rural Tennessee. Roseland Grandfamily Apartments in Chicago, Illinois owned by NHS Redevelopment Corporation, will have 10 units consisting of three and four bedrooms and serve 34 residents. As of May 2010, this project is in the early stages of contruction. Fiddler’s Annex in Smithville, Tennessee, owned by Fiddlers Manor, Inc., will have nine units consisting of two bedrooms, along with a manager’s unit, and will serve 20 residents. It is expected to open and start serving residents in fall 2010. Both of these projects must ensure that its residents are provided a range of supportive services tailed to meet the needs of seniors, children, and the families as a whole.

On May 30, 2007, HUD -- with its subcontractor Generations United – developed and broadcast a three hour satellite and Internet training to HUD’s regional and headquarters’ staff. That comprehensive training covered LEGACY, in addition to an overview of the affordable housing issues faced by grandparents and other relatives raising children, how other housing programs and supportive services can help these families, and housing developments specifically designed for them. Click here for the Power Point slides from that training.

After the training, HUD released its Intergenerational Housing Needs and HUD Program Options Report to Congress, which fulfilled the last requirement of the LEGACY law. That Report, containing Census Bureau data, can be accessed at http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/intergenerational.pdf

In the last decade, federal legislation and developments around the country have begun a trend to respond to the unique housing needs of grandfamilies. Much remains to be done, but policymakers and programmers are well on their way. If you have any comments concerning this analysis, please contact its author: Ana Beltran, Special Advisor, Generations United, at abeltran@gu.org.

[1] Kaufman, S. and Goldberg-Glen, R. (2000). A comparison of low income caregivers in public housing: Differences in grandparents and non grandparent needs and problems. In B. Hayslip and R. Goldberg-Glen (Eds.) Grandparents raising grandchildren: Theoretical, empirical and clinical perspectives. NY: Springer Publishing Co. pp. 369-382.

[2] Sand P. (2001). Generations united under one roof: A briefing paper on housing barriers for grandparents raising grandchildren. Unpublished paper.

Housing: Narrative Analysis