Posted: | December 13, 2012 04:10 PM |
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From: | Senator Anthony H. Williams |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Intergenerational Family Care Act (Grands As Parents) |
In the near future, I will be reintroducing SB 119. This legislation establishes a pilot program to provide aid to grandparents who are the primary caretakers of their grandchildren. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, nearly 200,000 children in the Commonwealth are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives and over 80,000 grandparents in Pennsylvania are responsible for meeting the basic needs of their grandchildren. About 1 in 5 of grandparents who serve as the primary caregiver lives in poverty. As Pennsylvania’s aging population continues to bear the responsibility of raising a growing percentage of our youth, I believe that we must take proactive steps to ensure the viability of both constituencies. My legislation will require DPW to assist a limited number of pilot program participants with rental housing assistance, daycare assistance, access to social service professionals, and childcare and custody education. Additionally, DPW will provide limited assistance to non-profit organizations whose sole purpose is to expand the supply of intergenerational housing. Previous co-sponsors of this legislation include Senators TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, ORIE, ERICKSON, BROWNE, KITCHEN, COSTA, BOSCOLA AND GREENLEAF. If you have any questions, please contact my office at 787-5970. Thank you for your consideration. |