One in ten grandparents has been the primary support of a grandchild at some time in his or her life. Currently, six percent of children live in a grandparent-headed household. Many organizations that provide services for both generations are not prepared to deal with the special needs that may arise.
Legal options are limited and emotionally draining and financially expensive.
Coalition members, and representatives from grandparent support groups in Pima, Maricopa, Cochise, Graham and Yuma counties worked together to determine needs and priorities through focus groups and the development of a strategic plan. The coalition includes 34 agencies providing services to grandparents and grandparent caregivers. In 2000, twenty coalition members gave approximately 1,032 volunteer hours to complete 700 resource notebooks, a top priority. This resource notebook has been like a Bible to me and there isn't anything else like it in the community. The resource notebook is wonderful and I wish there had been a resource like this when I first received custody of my grandchild eight years ago.