[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 162 (Friday, December 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S13773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               CAREGIVERS

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, across the country there are more than 6 
million children living in households headed by a grandparent or other 
relative. Regardless of the reason children enter relative--care the 
death of a parent, neglect, abuse, military deployment, or poverty--it 
is never, ever the fault of the child. I commend grandparents and other 
relatives who step forward to care for these children, keeping the 
children out of foster care while providing safe, stable homes, often 
at great personal sacrifice.
  In my state of Illinois, 9 percent of the children live with 
nonparent relatives. Grandparents and other relative caregivers often 
provide the best chance for a loving and stable childhood for the 
children in their care, but their hard work and dedication often goes 
unnoticed. Today I offer my formal acknowledgement and deepest 
appreciation for the ongoing service of these caregivers to our country 
and our Nation's most valuable asset--our children.
  There are still far too many barriers preventing grandparent- and 
other relative-caregivers from accessing the services they need. For 
example, even though grandparent-caregivers are eligible for many 
housing programs through the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, HUD officials on the ground often unwittingly exclude 
grandparents from accessing housing because of confusion over the 
relevant laws. For this reason, I recently worked with my colleague 
Senator Stabenow to obtain $4 million in new funding for grandparent-
caregiver housing demonstration projects.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to improve access to services for grandparent- and other 
relative-headed households. My grandparents played a central role in my 
upbringing, and without them I would not be standing before you today. 
I am certain that the same can be said of thousands of children and 
adults in Illinois and across the country. It is time that we recognize 
the contributions of these worthy relative-caregivers, and grant them 
the access to Federal services that they deserve.

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