SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Nearly 264,000 children under the age of 18 in Illinois are living without a parent in the home and are being raised by a relative, the governor’s office said Wednesday.
Also, more than 70,000 grandparents are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren.
Poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, and incarceration are cited as factors.
“As Governor, I’ve made it my mission to help make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a family,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “And that means supporting parents, guardians or grandparents — and our youngest Illinoisans.”
Today, Pritzker signed the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren bill, which creates a pilot program in Will County to provide resources and services from state agencies to grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren.
The pilot includes raising awareness about the following programs:
- The Extended Family Support Program administered by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS)
- The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program administered by the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA)
- The Child Only Grants assistance component of TANF program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS)
- The Children’s Health Insurance Program administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)
“Raising a child can be hard, especially if you are a senior citizen,” said Romeoville Mayor John Noak. “I’m very happy to see it will now be easier than ever for these parenting seniors to get the assistance they need. When it comes to raising a child, every bit helps.”
