[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5054-S5055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. DeWine, and Ms. Stabenow):
  S. 2592. A bill to provide affordable housing opportunities that are 
headed by grandparents and other relatives of children, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I am sure that each and every member of 
the United States Senate, if asked, could share fond memories of times 
they spent with their grandparents. I know that for me many of my most 
memorable childhood memories were spent with my grandmother and 
grandfather. Summer vacations, Christmas dinners and school recitals 
were all the more special because Grandma or Grandpa were there. 
Grandparents are always there to share words of wisdom and windows to 
the past with their grandchildren. They provide unconditional love and 
support to parents and their children as they prepare to become our 
Nation's next generation.
  Today, over 4 million grandparents in America are doing more than 
attending birthday parties and buying their grandchild's first bicycle. 
The US Census bureau reports that over 4 million grandparents are 
serving as a full time parent to their grandchildren. In my own State, 
Louisiana, over 150,000 grandparents are filling these roles. Many of 
these children have parents who have died, are in prison, or are 
suffering from substance abuse or mental illness. Others have been 
taken out of abusive homes. These ``grandfamilies'' come in all shapes 
and sizes. Some live in rural areas, some live in cities, others in 
suburbs. They come from all races, ethnicities and social status and 
they live in every single State in the Nation.
  Grandparents raising children face many barriers, especially if they 
do not have legal custody of the children, as is the case with a large 
portion of these caregivers. Most of these grandparents were at a point 
in their life when the major decisions faced by their peers are 
surrounding prescription drug coverage and retirement plans. Instead, 
these seniors are faced with questions about homework, the cost of baby 
formula and diapers, and where to find safe and affordable housing big 
enough for the whole family. While this bill does not address all of 
these barriers, it does attempt to address the critical need for 
affordable housing.
  These families often live in small apartments, assisted living 
communities or houses that are not suitable for the children they care 
for. If the grandparent is living in public senior housing, where 
children are disallowed, they are often subject to eviction if the 
children are discovered. Furthermore, if a housing development is 
constructed for seniors, these apartments are often not ``child 
proofed'' and there are often no places for the children to play 
safely. If these grandparents can afford to move to housing that is 
more suitable for the children, they are often forced to give up some 
of the amenities

[[Page S5055]]

that improve an elderly person's quality of life, such as ramps and 
bathroom rails.
  Many programs throughout the Nation have tried to address the need to 
provide safe and affordable housing for these families. One program, 
Grandfamilies House, in Massachusetts provides 26, two, three and four 
bedroom apartments that come equipped with the safety features needed 
by the older and younger residents it hopes to serve. In addition, they 
provide on site services to residents, including support groups, 
exercise programs and a before and after school program. This program 
is serving as a model to other communities that are hoping to create 
such an environment for their intergenerational families. There are 
many localities that have begun the process of implementing programs 
like the Grandfamilies House in: Baltimore, MD; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, 
IL, Detroit, MI, Nashville, TN; New York City, NY; Cleveland, OH and 
Philadelphia, PA.
  This bill would allow these programs to grow and prosper as well as 
encouraging other public and private partners to engage in developing 
these types of programs. Specifically, this bill authorizes the 
Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development to provide grants under 
a demonstration program that would be targeted toward meeting the 
housing and service needs of grandparent headed households. 
Furthermore, it clarifies key sections of federal housing law to ensure 
that grandparents raising grandchildren are able to access the federal 
assistance provided under federal housing programs. Finally, it directs 
the Secretary of HUD to provide specialized training to HUD personnel 
focused on grandparent-headed and relative-headed families.
  With 4 million children living solely with grandparents or other 
relatives, safe and affordable housing for these families is a concern 
that must be addressed. This is a simple and cost efficient way to 
begin to address this important question. I would like to thank my 
colleagues, Senator DeWine and Senator Stabenow, for their support of 
this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join us in support of this 
bill and hope that it will become law this year.

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