The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) is calling for proposals to prop up kinship caregivers, doling out $274,000 in state and federal funds to ease the strain on families who've taken in their own. The recently released Request for Proposal (RFP), announced on February 5, targets relatives caring for children under 18, both in and out of the child welfare system. These caregivers, often grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings, take on the responsibility without the usual support that foster care offers.
Mary Mitchell, the big cheese at the Division of Aging and Disability Services under HSD, emphasizes that kinship care is about keeping families intact and respecting cultural values. In King County alone, "18,000 grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and others are raising younger family members," Mitchell said. The aim is to help relatives provide solid care, honor their traditions, and not lose their own quality of life in the shuffle.
The pot of money for this RFP sprouts from the State Kinship Navigator and Older Americans Act Title IIIE funds. The focus of the funding, they say, is Black, Indigenous, and Latinx families, with HSD having its eyes on tackling the uneven outcomes often experienced by these communities.
Interested parties can get the lowdown on all this at a Zoom information session scheduled for February 14, 2024, where agency reps can quiz HSD experts from 10-11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. All the details needed to sign up are housed on the RFP webpage, for those looking to get in on the action and learn more.
