CHICAGO (WMBD) — Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed House Bill 780 to establish and administer a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program.

The program will begin Jan. 1, 2024, in Will County, Pritzker’s office said in a news release.

The bill amends the Illinois Act on Aging and will require an intake coordinator for Will County to be responsible for connecting grandparents raising grandchildren to relevant resources and services provided by state agencies.

“Through this pilot program in Will County, we will connect grandparents raising grandchildren to relevant resources and services provided by state agencies, while creating a public awareness campaign to keep all Illinois grandparents in the know,” Pritzker said.

In Illinois, nearly 264,000 children under the age of 18 are living in a home where a relative is the head of the household, and more than 70,000 grandparents across the state are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.

The pilot includes raising awareness about the following programs:

  • The Extended Family Support Program administered by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS)
  • The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program administered by the Illinois Departments on Aging (IDoA)
  • The Child Only Grants assistance component of TANF program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS)
  • The Children Health Insurance Program administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)

“This new law will make it so much easier for grandparents raising grandchildren to access the services and resources they need, without spending hours browsing government websites,” said IDoA Director Paula Basta.