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Letter: Grandparents raising kin a growing trend

Editor, Gazette-Journal:

For many years, the staff at the Mathews Department of Social Services has recognized a growing trend of grandparents raising grandchildren or relatives raising their kin in their community. One may ask oneself why or how does this happen? There are a multitude of reasons: parent(s) is/are incarcerated, deceased parent(s), homelessness, poverty, parental substance abuse, mental health issues or child protective services involvement with the possibility of foster care.

In March of 2019, the agency applied for a grant with the Mathews Women’s Giving Circle to assist those grandparents with needs they may not be able to afford. Imagine being retired, on a fixed income and now having anywhere from an extra person to multiple extra people in your household and having to feed them, clothe and shelter them. This grant has assisted with back-to-school clothing, recreational opportunities, cribs, beds, rental assistance, replacement glasses, and summer camp. Many...

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