Step Up Parents New Hampshire: Emergency Grants for Kinship Caregivers

A grandchild arrives with nothing — no spare clothes, no winter coat, maybe not even a bed. State benefits take weeks to process, and the immediate costs can't wait. That's where emergency kinship grants come in, and Step Up Parents is one of the most direct sources in New Hampshire.

What Step Up Parents Does

Step Up Parents is a Portsmouth-based nonprofit that provides targeted financial grants to relative caregivers raising children because of a parent's substance use disorder. Their focus is specific: the kinship care situations created by the opioid crisis and addiction broadly.

Step Up Parents does not pay caregivers directly; it pays bills, service providers, and vendors on their behalf.

Grants cover concrete, immediate needs — the things a child needs in the first days and weeks:

• Clothing, shoes, and winter gear
• Bedding, cribs, and car seats
• School supplies and backpacks
• Utility arrearages
• Transportation costs
• Other one-time emergency expenses

These are discretionary, one-time grants — not ongoing monthly payments. The amounts vary based on the situation and available funding.

The Kinship Navigator Program

Step Up Parents works alongside New Hampshire's Kinship Navigator Program (KNP), which operates through regional Family Resource Centers statewide. KNP connects caregivers to supports such as food assistance, gas for appointments, school supplies, respite care, and additional financial assistance. Navigators can also refer you to Step Up Parents and other local resources.

KNP services are free, voluntary, confidential, and have no income eligibility limits. A Navigator can help you:

• Apply for public benefits (FANF, SNAP, Medicaid)
• Connect with peer support groups
• Navigate school enrollment and medical consent issues
• Access emergency financial assistance from multiple sources

Contact the Kinship Navigator Program at [email protected] or through your local Family Resource Center. You can also call 1-844-ASK-DHHS (1-844-275-3447) and ask to be connected.

Other Emergency Funding Sources

FANF Emergency Assistance (EA): If you're receiving or applying for FANF, emergency assistance can cover specific crisis costs — up to $650 for rental security deposit/first month's rent, up to 2 months of back rent or mortgage, up to 2 months of utility arrearages, and up to $700 per delivery for home heating fuel (authorized up to 6 times per year).

Municipal Welfare: Every New Hampshire town and city administers general assistance under RSA 165 through a local welfare administrator. These offices provide emergency vouchers for basic needs — food, fuel, rent, and utilities. Eligibility and amounts vary by town, but the program exists in every municipality.

211 New Hampshire: Dial 2-1-1 or call 1-866-444-4211 for a 24/7 statewide referral line. Operators connect you to local food pantries, fuel assistance, shelter resources, and community programs based on your location.

ServiceLink: If you're a grandparent aged 55 or older, ServiceLink Aging and Disability Resource Centers offer Title III-E respite subsidies, caregiver support, and connections to local grant programs. Call 1-866-634-9412.

Don't Wait for State Benefits to Start

Emergency grants and community resources exist precisely because state benefits take time — 30 to 45 days for most programs. Filing BFA Form 800 establishes your application date and starts the clock, but the immediate gap between day one and the first benefit payment is real.

Reach out to Step Up Parents and the Kinship Navigator Program as soon as a child enters your care. They can bridge the gap while your state applications process.

The complete New Hampshire kinship financial help guide maps every financial resource — emergency grants, state benefits, community programs, and legal aid — so you know what's available and how to access each one.

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