Meet Kelly

Kelly, age 65, stepped up to take care of her young grandchildren after her daughter passed away.  

Kelly had a career in nursing, but due to some medical issues, she had to stop working full-time. Needing somewhere to live, she became a live-in caregiver for a friend’s elderly relatives. However, her living situation was very challenging, as she was also frequently caring for her two grandchildren due to her daughter’s ongoing struggle with addiction. “I had both kids, and both of the elderly…it was always something,” she shares. 

Then, Kelly’s daughter sadly passed away. Kelly became the primary caregiver to her granddaughter; eventually, she would gain full custody of her granddaughter and partial physical custody of her grandson. After one of her caretaking patients passed away and the other moved into a care facility, Kelly had to find a new place to live. She and her granddaughter moved in with a friend for around six months. Then, she was accepted for an apartment in an affordable housing community.  

This was how Kelly met Lori, a Supportive Services Coordinator at Tenfold. Several affordable housing communities in Lancaster, including the community Kelly moved into, contract with Tenfold to provide supportive services to their tenants. In her role as Supportive Services Coordinator, Lori meets with tenants like Kelly to provide referrals to community supports and resources, support them in their personal, financial, and medical goals, and help ensure that they remain stably housed. 

“I love working with Kelly,” Lori shares. “She will do anything for her grandchild and has sacrificed so much. She’s such a strong, amazing woman.” 

Kelly receives disability benefits but also works at a grocery store part-time to ensure that she can continue supporting her grandchildren. Despite her hard work, the expenses and logistics of raising her granddaughter, who is now seven years old, can be very challenging to balance. “I was always Googling, trying to get help. I got nothing,” she explains.  

Then, Lori told her about the Caregiver Support Program offered by the Lancaster County Office of Aging, which provides support for grandparents and other older relatives who are raising children. At first, Kelly didn’t believe that she would be able to get the help she needed. But she listened to Lori and connected with the Office of Aging. 

Not only was the program real; it was life-changing for Kelly. Through this program, she’s been able to purchase new clothes for her granddaughter four times a year and receive a box of food monthly. The program also gives her granddaughter access to summer camp, and helps cover expenses like a pool membership, so that she and her granddaughter can swim together.  

Most importantly, Kelly has been able to get her granddaughter into an afterschool program two times a week and be reimbursed for a babysitter when she needs one. Prior to this, “I had not been out of this house with a friend for two years,” she shares. “I could never afford to pay for a sitter to go out and be with friends.” 

Like many grandparents who find themselves raising their grandchildren, Kelly had expected to spend her retirement years traveling and spending time with friends. Instead, she is busy raising a seven-year-old. Simply being able to spend time with her friends on occasion has made a huge difference in her quality of life. “I would’ve given anything to know about that resource seven years ago,” she shares.  

Today, thanks to the support of Tenfold and the Office of the Aging, Kelly is in a good place. She has even been able to take her grandchildren on a few trips and hopes to travel with them more in the future. Whenever possible, she does activities with both grandkids to ensure that they can maintain a close relationship as siblings. She and her granddaughter travel to watch her grandson play sports, and when she can, she’ll get a motel for the three of them to stay at together so the kids can hang out and play in the pool. “It’s so important for them to know each other,” she says. Currently, they are planning a trip to North Carolina for the summer. 

Throughout all of her struggles, Kelly shares, her grandkids have been the reason she keeps going. “I say that they’re the ones keeping me alive,” she shares. In particular, she knows her granddaughter needs her. “I’ve got to keep going for her, I’ve got to get up in the morning and get her ready for school,” she says. “This is what needs to be done, and I’ve got to keep going.” 

To learn more about Tenfold’s full continuum of services, click here. To donate to Tenfold, click here. Your donation helps provide crucial support to people like Kelly. 

Tenfold currently has contracts with 7 properties through Community Basics, Inc (CBI), a nonprofit Community Housing Development Organization. Through these contracts, Tenfold provides supportive services at these properties for any tenant that requests them. To learn more about Community Basics, Inc., click here.

To learn more about the Lancaster County Office of Aging Caregiver Support Program, click here.