Lockdown measures during the pandemic have increased the risk of violence and abuse for vulnerable kids in our community. When the home isn’t a safe place for a kid, the Children’s Aid Society works to find children a safe, stable place to live.
Kinship care provides stability and a safe environment for the children while maintaining the child’s own culture and family history. Children are far better to stay with kinship care than foster care.
Yet, kinship families have limited government funding. Many caregivers in our community live within a fixed budget, living on a pension or with a lower income. The pandemic also made things worse. Some caregiving families are struggling from a recent job loss or reduced hours. But, there are start-up costs that come with kinship caregiving. This may include purchasing a bed, mattress, desk, diapers, the formula for an infant as well as groceries.
A grant made through the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough has allowed the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Foundation to help the kinship families in need with the start-up costs. A grandmother, who was financially struggling as a small business owner, was able to provide bedroom furniture for her 3-year-old granddaughter. “With additional support, it was possible to bring her granddaughter into her home, despite all the hardships her business has suffered due to the pandemic,” said Deb Aben from the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Foundation.
With the Emergency Community Support Fund, 50 caregiving families were able to provide a stable and safe environment for their kinship children and youth.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many of us. However, some communities are experiencing a bigger impact than others. Vulnerable people are facing increased challenges in our community. We know that local charities are stretched thin, and our community needs your help more than ever. Whether you give $10 or $10,000, we know that we can make a bigger difference by giving together.