Older caregivers in a fix over housing

KATIE WANG

Newark is the latest city helping to provide a place for growing number of seniors raising their grandkids

After raising five children and four grandchildren, Louise Eagle, 68, is struggling to stay on top of her bills.

With two more grandchildren under her wing, Eagle said her Social Security check is barely enough to pay for her South Orange house and other costs associated with raising her daughter's children.

Affordable housing is a common problem among the burgeoning population of grandparents raising their grandchildren.

Last week, the Newark City Council approved a $525,000 loan to build a development for seniors raising their grandchildren. The project is believed to be the first of its kind in Newark and the latest to crop up nationwide.

"It's so hard to find safe, affordable housing ... a nice safe place to live where you're near good schools," said Eagle, who is the president of a new support group in South Orange called Grandma Cares.

Deborah Whitley, the director of the National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, a research center at the University of Georgia, said most grandparents find themselves taking custody of their grandchildren at unexpected times.

Those living in senior homes are forced to find new homes because of restrictions forbidding children in their buildings.

The challenge for those seniors, she said, is finding a place that serves the divergent needs of the elderly and the young under one roof.

"Finding accommodations that serve both of these needs at the same time is a trend that is being addressed across the nation," said Whitley.

The city of Boston has been at the forefront of the movement. In 1997, it used private and public dollars to build a $4 million housing complex for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Since then, the population has continued to increase -- capturing the attention of lawmakers.

In 2000, the government included questions about caregiving by grandparents on the Census for the first time in its history. The Census discovered 5.7 million grandparents live with their grandchildren and 2.4 million grandparents have sole responsibility of their grandchildren.

New York, Los Angeles and Chicago were the cities with the largest populations of seniors raising grandchildren.

Complicating matters is the cost of housing. Most seniors are living on a fixed income and cannot afford to pick up and move very easily. According to the 2000 Census, 19 percent of grandparent caregivers lived below the poverty level.

"It's very difficult to cover all the expenses when you're in a house and you're paying for all your housing," said Eagle.

Eagle took custody of six grandchildren after two of her daughters struggled with their addiction to drugs.

She said she has been pushing for housing for grandparents for years.

In Newark, there were 3,743 grandparents raising their grandchildren in 2006 -- according to the Association for Children of New Jersey. Mayor Cory Booker said in his state of the city address in February that he plans to launch more support programs for those grandparents this year.

Gerard Haizel, executive director of Episcopal Community Development, a organization created by the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, noticed the growing population while working on a community plan for the Clinton Hill neighborhood in the South Ward. Not only were there more seniors, he said, but more of them were taking care of their grandchildren.

"It's a cohort we've been hearing about anecdotally for the past few years," he said. "We thought it was something that needed to be looked at."

Haizel said his organization decided to dedicate 10 two-bedroom apartments in a new affordable housing development on Avon Avenue for these seniors. That number, he said, can increase, depending on the demand.

Construction on the project is expected to begin by fall, Haizel said. The development will include 13 other apartments for seniors and people with special needs.

Denise Dean, 53, the president of Grand Power, a Newark-based grandparent support group, said she is pleased that grandparent housing is finally coming to Newark. Housing for that segment of the population, has been a problem for more than a decade.

"A lot of seniors were in their senior homes and hiding children," she said. "That's when housing became a big concern. (The housing) is out there now."

Katie Wang may be reached at kwang@starledger.com or (973) 392-1504.