Providing a home for a child who needs one can be very rewarding. However, the cost of adding a child to your monthly budget can be overwhelming. Below are a few programs that may help provide additional support for the children in your care. Please note that each program has its own eligibility criteria and requirements. 

Kinship Support Program

The Kinship Support Program (KSP) provides up to six monthly payments to eligible kinship caregivers who have a kinship child placed in their home by a public children services agency with custody of the child.  During those six months, the kinship caregiver may become certified as a foster parent, if they choose.  Once certified, the caregiver will receive foster care per diem payments for the child.  

Kinship caregivers are eligible for KSP payments when:

• The child is in the temporary, permanent, or legal custody of the public children services agency. 
• The child is placed by the public children services agency as a kinship placement in the home of the kinship caregiver. 
• The kinship caregiver is not already certified as a foster caregiver. 

Eligible kinship caregivers will receive a KSP payment of $10.80 per day per child. Caregivers will continue to receive KSP payments until they become certified foster parents, until the child is no longer placed in their home, until the child is no longer in the custody of the public children services agency, or until the six-month time period has ended, whichever happens first.  

Kinship caregivers who become foster parents may be able to receive waivers of non-safety related foster care requirements, such as some training classes.  The foster care agency can discuss non-safety requirement waiver requests with the caregiver during the homestudy process.  For more information about becoming a certified foster caregiver, visit How to Become a Foster Parent.

Kinship Permanency Incentive Program

The Kinship Permanency Incentive (KPI) program provides temporary financial support for minor children in the legal and physical custody of grandparents, relatives or other “kinship caregivers.” The KPI program is designed to promote permanent commitments by kinship caregivers, by helping defray some of the costs of caring for children.

KPI provides incentive payments to families caring for their kin. Eligible kinship caregivers will receive an initial payment to defray costs of initial placement and may receive subsequent payments at six-month intervals to support the stability of the child’s placement in the home. The maximum incentive amount may not exceed eight payments. Participation in this program does not preclude these families from also receiving child-only Ohio Works First benefits (see below). To apply, eligible kinship caregivers can fill out an application at their local public children service agency.

To be eligible for the KPI program, the following conditions must be met:

• A court must have awarded the kinship caregiver legal custody or guardianship of the child on or after July 1, 2005.
• A public children services agency must have conducted a home assessment and approved the child’s placement.
• The gross income of the caregiver’s family, including the child, may not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Ohio Works First

Kinship caregivers and the children in their care can apply for monthly cash assistance through the Ohio Works First (OWF) program. To be eligible for OWF, you must be related by blood or marriage to the children in your care or be their legal guardian or custodian.

There are two ways kinship caregivers can receive OWF benefits. The first is for you to receive income only for the children in your care. In these cases, the county department of job and family services (CDJFS) will not take into account any of your income and will not provide money for you as part of the OWF grant for the children. These are called child-only cases. Eligible families can receive this money until the child turns 18 or leaves your home.

If you have a child-only benefit, you will not be subject to things like work requirements or time limits.  However, you must be willing to cooperate with your local child support enforcement agency to meet the program's child support requirements.  If you have questions about the child-only OWF program, contact your county JFS agency. To find contact information for your county JFS agency, visit jfs.ohio.gov/county.

The second way for you to receive OWF for the child(ren) in your care is to be part of the grant yourself. This means that the county department of job and family services will consider your income when they review your application and, if you qualify, include you as part of the grant. You will receive more money because the grant will be for both you and the child(ren) in your care. However, the program's work requirements and time limits will apply. This means that you will probably have work requirements and will be limited to three years of assistance.  If you are not sure which type of benefit to apply for, contact your local JFS office and ask for more information.

Most kinship caregivers receive child-only benefits and do not have to worry about work requirements or time limits. One problem many kinship caregivers face during the application process is proving that they are related to the child. You can generally use birth certificates to prove your relationship to the child. In complicated situations, you may need affidavits or other types of proof. If you are having trouble proving your relationship, you should seek help from a legal services provider.

You can apply for Ohio Works First online by going to Benefits.Ohio.gov, or by filling out the JFS 07200 “Request for Cash, Food and Medical Assistance” form and submitting it to your county JFS agency. To find contact information for your county JFS agency, visit jfs.ohio.gov/county. 

What should you take with you when applying for Ohio Works First?

The best strategy is to bring as much information as possible. The more information you can provide, the more quickly your application can be processed. Be ready to provide as many of the following items as possible:

• A photo ID, such as a driver’s license.
• A rent receipt, house payment book, or lease with the landlord name and phone number. This information verifies your current address.
• A birth certificate for each child, showing the parent’s name and the date and place of birth. This helps verify your relationship with the child.
• Social Security cards for all people in your family who have Social Security numbers.
• A visa, green card or immigration papers if you or anyone requesting assistance is not a U.S. citizen.
• Proof of legal custody or legal guardianship, if applicable.
• Pay stubs covering a period of one month, if you have a job. Pay stubs are necessary only if you are applying for cash assistance for yourself.
• Notice of your last pay raise, if you have a job.

Food Assistance

If you are eligible, you can use Food Assistance benefits (formerly known as food stamps) to buy food at the grocery store. The benefits are approved and placed on a plastic debit card that can be used anywhere in the US. You may use the card by swiping it and entering your personal identification number. The amount of your purchase will then be automatically deducted from your account.

No sales tax is charged on Food Assistance purchases. These benefits cannot be used to buy non-food items such as soap, diapers, alcohol or tobacco, or hot food purchases that are prepared to be eaten immediately.

You can apply for Ohio Works First online by going to Benefits.Ohio.gov, or by filling out the JFS 07200 “Request for Cash, Food and Medical Assistance” form and submitting it to your county JFS agency. To find contact information for your county JFS agency, visit jfs.ohio.gov/county.

Your local JFS agency will determine your eligibility by looking at the gross income and counted liquid assets of everyone in the household. Gross income includes almost all cash income, except things like loans and student financial aid. Counted liquid assets include cash and checking and savings accounts. Assets do not include the value of your home or residence, your vehicle, or your furnishings.

If you have a child-only OWF benefit for the child in your care, your income and assets may be too high for your family to obtain Food Assistance, Still, if you think you might be eligible, you should apply for both programs.

If your household is in a crisis situation, you may be able to get expedited Food Assistance within seven days. You may qualify for expedited Food Assistance if (1) the members of your household have a combined monthly income of $150 and have resources of $100 or less, (2) your income and resources are not enough to pay the rent or mortgage and utilities this month, or (3) your household members are destitute migrant or seasonal farm workers who have resources of $100 or less.  

* Note: For expedited Food Assistance, only identification is required for verification. If you anticipate having trouble with the application process or getting to the store to use your benefits, you can designate an “authorized representative” to act on your behalf. In that case, the authorized representative also must present identification.

What should you take with you when applying for Food Assistance?

The best strategy is to bring as much information as possible with you to your local JFS agency. The more documentation you have, the quicker your application can be processed. Be ready to provide as many of the following items as possible, but remember that you can apply even if you do not have all of these documents. Your intake worker can help you get these documents after you have applied, or if you applied online.

• A rent receipt, house payment book, or lease with the landlord name and phone number. This information verifies your current address and rent expenses.
• Utility and phone bills to show how much money you generally spend on heat, electricity, water and the telephone.
• Social Security cards for all people in your family who have Social Security numbers.
• Proof of any income deductions you can claim, such as child care expenses, tuition or care for a dependent.
• A visa, green card, or immigration/naturalization card if any member of your household is not a US citizen.
• Bank account statements, to provide proof of your income level.
• Proof of any benefits received through unemployment programs, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income or Veteran Benefits.
• Statements of any scholarships or educational loans.

Child Support

Ohio's child support program provides services to help ensure children receive the financial and medical support they are legally entitled to and deserve. To be eligible to receive child support, a caregiver must have physical custody of the child. This means that the child must live with and be cared for full-time by the caregiver. The amount of child support that the child’s parents will be ordered to pay depends on both their ability to pay and the needs of the child. If the caregiver is already receiving Ohio Works First for the child, child support will be paid directly to the local JFS agency.

Every county has a child support enforcement agency.  The local child support agency can help order child support to be withheld from a parent's paycheck or intercepted from tax refunds.  It also can help to locate an absent parent and/or establish paternity. To find contact information for your county child support agency, visit jfs.ohio.gov/county. 

Additional Information:

• Child Care Assistance
• Housing Assistance
• Medical Services
• Educational Services
• Legal Services