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Kraemer Intergeneration Collection: Family Relationships

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Resources from the Library

Intergenerational Topics in Family Relationships

By nature families are intergenerational, however, some topics have a larger impact in intergenerational conversations than others.

Grandfamilies

"Generations United's National Center on Grandfamilies works to enact policies and promote programs to help grandfamilies address challenges.

Grandfamilies or kinship families are families in which children reside with and are being raised by grandparents, other extended family members, and adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship such as godparents and close family friends. About 7.8 million children across the country live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. About 2.7 million grandparents report they are responsible for their grandchildren's needs. In about a third of these homes neither of the children's parents are in the home."

Generations United is currently advocating for the United States Senate to pass the Family First Prevention Services Act which would help grandfamilies by:

  • Providing federal funding for prevention services for grandfamilies
  • supporting kinship navigator programs
  • addressing barriers to licensing relatives*

Multigenerational Households

A record number of Americans live in multigenerational households today. Although the trend began before the economic downturn, the Great Recession has fueled a dramatic rise in U.S. multigenerational households from 46.5 million in 2007 to 51.4 million by the end of 2009- a 10.5% increase in just three years.

Multigenerational families offer a number of advantages to its members. These households also face many challenges. Here are some key facts about multigenerational households in America:

  • One in six Americans currently lives in a multigenerational household.
  • The number rose from 46.5 million in 2007 to 51.4 million by the end of 2009 - a 10.5% increase in just three years.
  • About 4.2 million of the 113.6 million U.S. households consist of three or more generations.**

*Taken from Generations United Grandfamilies website. For more information visit: http://www.gu.org/OURWORK/Grandfamilies.aspx, http://www.gu.org/HOME.aspx
** Taken from Generations United What is a Multigenerational Household. For more information visit: http://www.gu.org/OURWORK/Multigenerational/MultigenerationalHouseholdInformation.aspx