Fight to save kinship programs (and dollars) comes to Capitol

Fight to save kinship programs (and dollars) comes to Capitol
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 12:42 PM by Bryan Fitzgerald in General

Grandparents gathered at the Capitol today to call on legislators to stop budget cuts to kinship caregiver programs. Current budget proposals would cut funding from $3 million to $1 million.

Advocates say that kinship programs save taxpayers money by keeping children out of foster care. According to the Office of Children Family Services, the average cost of a child in non-specialized foster care is $22,000 per year, compared to just $500 per child in a kinship program.

Kinship caregivers raise between 350,000 to 400,000 children in New York. According to the AARP, New York spends $1.5 billion on foster care a year.

“Programs that support grandparents who are raising grandchildren and other relatives caregivers cost New York State a fraction of what the state spends on foster care,” said Lois Aronstein, AARP New York State Director. “Without the essential supports and services that kinship programs provide to grandparents, more children could be forced into the foster care system at a greater cost to New York taxpayers.

The AARP also states that children who live with grandparents achieve more permanency, better well-being, and better outcomes than children in foster care.

“Kinship families are a natural resource for children,” said Gerald Wallace, director of the New York State Kinship Navigator Program. “But for their care, most of these children would be in foster care. It makes no sense to abandon the one resource we have that works for kids.”

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/26032/fight-to-save-kinship-programs-and-dollars-comes-to-capitol/