Building Strong Families

Grandparents/Relatives Raising & Nurturing Dependent Children – Housing

When grandparents or other relatives take on the responsibility for their grandchildren, there may be problems with their current housing situation. Can they stay in their home? Does their current home meet the requirements for having their grandchildren live with them? Is there enough room for everyone? Where can they go to find help to make any changes that are needed so that their grandchildren can live with them? These questions and other concerns are answered in this section on housing issues that may affect grandparents raising grandchildren.

Grandma and Grandpa Taking care of the Kids (8 pages, 287 KB)
Over the last decade, considerable media attention and public discussion have focused on the varied roles that grandparents play in family life. Much of this public attention has centered on grandparents who assume parental responsibilities for their grandchildren.1 Similarly, grandparents are recognized for the active but temporary roles they assume during times of crisis or special need, such as in cases of a parental divorce or military deployment.2 Yet child care provided in such contexts constitutes only a small proportion of all child care assistance provided by grandparents. The more typical pattern is for grandparents to baby-sit over the weekend or during the evening, look after grandchildren when parents are at work, or take care of grandkids under other, more routine, circumstances.

If you have any questions regarding Family Living in Shawano County, please contact:

	Linda Olson, Family Living Educator UW-Extension Shawano County Shawano County Courthouse 311 North Main Street, Room 101 Shawano, WI 54166 Phone: 715-526-6136 * Fax: 715-526-4875 Email: linda.olson@ces.uwex.edu