To the editor:

Not only is there a stigma attached to being a kinship caregiver, but at times people will ask what we as the parent did wrong in raising our child for them to turn out as they did. But the truth is, a parent can only do so much once they are 18 and have moved out or become an adult.

The harsh realities are that the states will always push for kinship care. Which is ideal, however the reality is that the government doesn’t assist with housing to accommodate the struggles of having to upsize your home to adequately provide safe and secure housing. They will bring you a baby with a pack-n-play, a bag of clothing and you are on your own to apply and hope you receive WIC/SNAP, etc.

Kinship caregivers receive a fraction of the assistance that foster caregivers receive.

According to the findings, the basic annual expenses to raise a small child in New York comes out to roughly $26,017, which kinship caregivers fund themselves with the stipend not even covering a fraction of this expense.

Across the nation, 3% of all kids — more than 2.5 million children — are in kinship care. In this arrangement, relatives raise kids when their parents cannot care for them. Let thank number sink in for a moment.

Stronger kinship diversion policies are needed to support children and caregivers. With most kinship caregivers working multiple jobs to support their ever-growing, nontraditional family.

Kinship caregivers are less than half as likely as foster parents to receive any form of financial support, about four times less likely to receive any form of training and seven times less likely to have peer support groups or respite care.

It seems wildly unbalanced when there is massive support, structures and resources available to “traditional foster homes” and minimal if any support, resources and financial assistance provided to an ever growing issue of kinship families taking on in most instances multiple children permanently.

The need for change is immediate.

Karen Nelson

Saranac Lake