- How do I contact the Kinship Navigator Program?
- I am already receiving Kinship services and need the phone number of my local agency. Can you help?
- How long will it take to apply?
- What types of services can we receive?
- For how long am I eligible for kinship services?
- Does the child have to live with me?
- Must I be related to the child?
- What is Kinship Legal Guardianship?
- Can I get any other benefits from Legal Guardianship?
To find out more about Kinship Navigator services, call 2-1-1 toll free. You will talk to a 2-1-1 staff person who will help you if you have an immediate need and will then refer you to your local Kinship agency.
Top ^Kinship Agencies
- CarePlus, NJ
- (201) 797-2660 or (201) 398-9110, serving Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties
- The Salvation Army
- (973) 623-8471 or 973 623-8472, serving Essex County
- Children’s Home Society
- (609) 695-6274, serving Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Union Counties.
- Center for Family Services
- 1-877-569-0350, serving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties
The application takes about 20 minutes over the phone. After you complete the application, the kinship agency will contact you to set up a home visit. Every year you’ll need to call your kinship agency to reapply.
Top ^Services available through the Kinship Navigator Program include (but are not limited to) help with the following:
- Payment for clothing for the child
- Referrals to grandparenting and family support groups
- Getting medical coverage and services
- Housing
- Payment for furniture (for example, a bed, dresser, book shelves)
- Payment for tutoring services and extra curricular activities for the child
- Payment for summer camp for the child
- Payment for graduation expenses for the child
Top ^
As long as the child(ren) remain in your care and is/are under age 18, or 21 and disabled.
Top ^Yes, the child must be living with you.
Top ^No. You may be a neighbor or someone with a close emotional relationship to the child. However, if you are not related, you must obtain kinship legal guardianship to access Kinship services, as well as a variety of other government assistance programs.
Top ^It is a legal status that gives the caregiver the authority to make decisions concerning the child's welfare.
Top ^Yes, you may be eligible for a subsidy. Call your Kinship Agency for more information and other community services.
