Grandparents Raising Resilient Youth (GRRY)
This program addresses the needs and issues specific to grandparent-headed families.

(GRRY) program began in October 1999. Funded through the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the program is geared toward providing services of empowerment, support, advocacy and referral to families where grandparents are raising their grandchildren. The program targets households of all racial, ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic groups who are committed to increasing the resiliency and decreasing the risk factors for all members of the participating families in Berks County.

Home visits are scheduled to assist families with agency referrals, family strengthening, parenting, finances, health care, and other relevant issues that promote family stability.

Support groups provide socialization and interaction that builds support and networking.

Services:

• Referrals to Services
• Transportation Assistance
• Case Management
• Support Groups for Grandparents
• Support Groups for Grandchildren
• Social Activities

Funding:
This program is part of a study funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Contact Information:
Anita Miller
 610-376-6988
amiller@community preventionpartnership.org

Facts and Information:

• According to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau, more than 4.5 million children were being raised in grandparent headed households.
• 3.2 million grandparents are raising their kid’s kids.
• The absence of the birth parent often occurs as the result of drug addiction, incarceration, HIV/AIDS, divorce, abandonment and death.
• Researchers report that at some point more than one in ten grandparents raise a grandchild for at least six months.
• The average age of grandparents caring for their grandchildren is 55 years.
• Grandparents who raise their grandchildren are 60% more likely to live in poverty.
• Since 1999, the Grandparents Raising Resilient Youth Program has provided services to more than 200 grand-families residing in the Berks County area.