Local Mental Health Therapist Lori Padilla speaking at the June 3 Kiwanis Club meeting. Courtesy/Kiwanis
By BROOKE DAVIS
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos
At its June 3 meeting, the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos heard an enlightening presentation from Mental Health Therapist Lori Padilla about the issues, challenges, and support in the County for grandparents and kin raising children.
Padilla cited a 2024 report by the LANL Foundation that described how, between 2021 and 2023, New Mexico had the highest rate of children in kinship care in the nation (8%), more than double the national average (3%) and the rate has been increasing statewide while the nation experienced a slight decline.
Kinship care refers to grandparents, relatives, or non-related individuals who raise and support children. Many kinship caregivers are unexpectedly raising children due to difficult circumstances such as parental alcohol and drug abuse. They find themselves navigating challenges they had not anticipated.
Padilla explained that these caregivers can be overwhelmed. In a region that historically and culturally “takes care of its own”, they are often looked down upon for not always having the ability to help themselves. In her job, she contracts with the Family Strengths Network and works with 44 families to give support where they most need it. She helps with legal assistance to navigate interaction with the courts; providing food, supplies, and financial assistance; mental health care to ensure children in their care can thrive; working to provide childcare for respite; and kinship navigators to help grandparents and kin interact with a complicated system of state agency support.
The New Mexico State Legislature this year passed HB252, which provides for a three-year kinship caregiver pilot program in 5 to 7 counties to improve the lives of children through a monthly economic support program and provides access to needed services and referrals. Padilla expressed gratitude to the legislature for its forward-looking stance on this issue and thanked all the grandparents and kin who traveled to the Capitol to advocate for this bill.
Her goals for the future include raising awareness of caregiver needs, building up working relationships across county lines, expanding resources of food and funds to address short-term needs, and a solid long-term assistance program for families.