Supporting kin and the children they raise

DC KinCare Alliance Community Organizing Specialist Maryellen Ryan urged the Council to fully fund the Grandparent Caregiver and Close Relative Caregiver Programs in accordance with the Increasing Support for Grandparent and Close Relative Caregivers Amendment Act of 2025. The testimony highlights the critical role kinship caregivers play in keeping children safe and stable, while also documenting the significant disparities between the financial supports and services available to children in foster care compared to children being raised by relatives outside the foster care system.

DC KinCare Alliance Community Board Advocacy Lead Donte Massey shared his experience raising four younger siblings after a family crisis and explained how the Close Relative Caregiver Program helped stabilize his family through housing, transportation, food, and educational support. His testimony urges the Council to fully fund the Grandparent Caregiver and Close Relative Caregiver subsidy programs, emphasizing that kinship caregivers provide the same essential care and stability as foster parents and need equal financial support to keep children safely connected to family and community.

Long-time kinship caregiver and DC KinCare Alliance Community Board Outreach Leader Marcia Moore shares how legal representation and advocacy from DC KinCare Alliance helped her protect and ultimately adopt her great-niece after the child was abandoned and exposed to domestic violence. In her testimony before the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, Ms. Moore emphasizes the life-changing impact of Access to Justice funding for kinship caregivers seeking legal stability and essential public benefits for the children in their care.