Relative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.
The state pays Morris to care for the five grandchildren for whom she has permanent custody, but she gets a fraction of the amount that a stranger who stepped in as a foster parent would get. That’s something some Texas lawmakers are trying to change this year.When relatives take in children who have interacted with the Texas child welfare system, the state provides some financial assistance, depending on family circumstances.
A relative caregiver can choose to complete the training foster parents do and get “verified” by the state. That would allow them to get paid the same as foster parents. But Mercedes Bristol, a grandparent of five, said families have to go through a lot of red tape to get verified. For example, the relative’s home must pass a state assessment. Some grandparents have been asked to make costly home repairs or find a house with more square footage to meet the home assessment, Bristol said.
Smith needed the extra money from the state. After she took in grandkids, she walked a tightrope with her finances for years. She was always falling behind. Overdue bills stuffed her mailbox. “I remember the doctor telling me, well, you have to get rid of the stress. But I can’t tell you to do that because that means you’d have to get rid of kids,” Smith said. “So all we can do is give you medication.”
Kinship caregivers can look to public benefits for another source of assistance. SNAP food benefits, known as food stamps, cover the cost of groceries. Relatives can also get a one-time $1,000 payment through the TANF program.
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