State Senator Mark Dann pushes legislation giving money for care

WARREN -- State Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, unveiled legislation Wednesday that would provide financial assistance to those who have taken children of relatives into their home.
The legislation will provide children in the temporary or legal custody of a kinship caregiver with benefits comparable to those received by foster children and will assist kinship caregivers in meeting the needs of the children they are rearing.
He spoke to a group of relatives, known as "kinship caregivers," at the YMCA in Warren -- addressing issues involved with rearing children of relatives.
More than 157,000 young Ohioans are being reared solely by their grandparents, a 13.8 percent increase from 1990, he said. Often circumstances are unexpected that contribute to these family arrangements such as death, chronic illness, or biological parents who are unable to care for their children.
"The effects on the lives and finances of these kinship caregivers and the children who depend on them are dramatic," Dann said.
Relatives who step in to rear these children face many challenges such as poverty, depression and a lack of health insurance.
Dann noted placing children with a relative is probably the best option for children who cannot live with their parents, and without their commitment Ohio's foster care system would be overwhelmed.