WASHINGTON — In honor of National Kinship Care Month, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, launched a new resource guide for grandparent caregivers.

An estimated 2.7 million children in the United States are being raised by grandparents, other relatives or close family friends. Though so-called “grandfamilies” or “kinship families” are often eligible for federal support due to unique challenges and disproportionate risk of poverty, awareness of these benefits is often not widespread among grandparents. Last month, Casey introduced the bipartisan Informing Grandparents Act, which would require states to provide grandfamilies with information about the resources available to them, all of which is contained in Casey’s new resource guide.

“Grandparents raising grandchildren face unique challenges under difficult circumstances,” Casey said. “In recent years, the need for ensuring these families are supported has become even more dire as the opioid crisis and COVID-19 pandemic have forced more and more grandparents to take on unexpected caregiving duties. I am releasing this resource guide to ensure that grandparent caregivers know about and can take advantage of the resources they need and deserve.”

The Informing Grandfamilies Act would not only require states to provide all of the resource guide’s vital information to grandfamilies, but also to hire staff or contract with a community-based organization with the necessary expertise to guide grandfamilies and kinship families through the benefit process.

The resource guide is available online, at casey.senate.gov.