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More Latino grandparents are raising their grandchildren

Just when Herlinda González thought the challenging days of raising young children were behind her, she had to make one of the toughest decisions of her life.

At 58, González decided to became a mother for the fifth time by becoming the guardian of two of her great-grandchildren, Ramon, 5, and Joseph, 4, whom she’s been taking care of for four years. Joseph was nine months old and Ramon more than a year old when the boys started living with her. Their mother was too young and unprepared to take care of them, González said. And the “Granny”, as the boys call her, wasn’t ready to turn the children over to foster care.

González is just one of an increasing number grandparents who have been opting to take the custody of their children’s children, county authorities said.

It’s been more than three decades since the last time “Granny” had to take care of her own children, three of whom are now in their late 30’s and early 40’s.

“At the time that I took the kids, I thought this was supposed to be my time,” González, who is single, said.

But despite the hard work and challenge, González said she’s grateful to have both kids under her wing.

“It’s almost like getting a second chance, because I think you do what you can with your own children, but when you’re having a second chance like this, you’ve already learned something from way back when. Now it’s your time to do a little better job,” she said.

Ginger Heath, Supervisor of the Kern County Superior Court’s Probate Department, said about 85 to 90 percent of those who file a petition for guardianship are grandparents. Just in August, she said, 50 petitions for guardianship were filed at the Probate Department.

But legal assistant Roza Heglund, of the Guardianship Self-Help Center, one of two programs of the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance that help grandparents file guardianship-related documentation, said this trend is increasing among Latino grandparents.

Heglund said between 40 to 45 percent of those who file a petition for guardianship through her program are Hispanic. In the month of August, she said, a total of 230 grandparents filed a petition for guardianship through GBLA’s program, and 103 of them were Hispanic.

Heglund said this trend has its roots in serious problems.

“The No. 1 reason why children end up under the custody of their grandparents or relatives is because of drug abuse (by their biological parents),” Heglund said.

Alcohol consumption is also a factor. Although, “once in a while, the mother doesn’t care and abandons her kid for self gratifying reasons,” Heglund added.

Bakersfield residents Enrique and Rosemary Gutiérrez faced this situation. They became the substitute parents of Anisa, their 9-month-old granddaughter, a day after she was born.

Both of Anisa’s parents were drug addicts. So the Gutiérrezes decided to step in and embrace Anisa as their daughter. The couple said they didn’t want to see her become a foster child like her three older siblings who recently returned to their biological parents.

“It’s been nine years since the last time we changed diapers,” said 61-year-old Enrique Gutierrez.

The Gutierrezes had 11 children, the youngest of whom is 9 years old and still lives with them. And just as González, they had assumed the days of diaper-changing were over.
But they say they have no regrets about Anisa.

“We wanted to give her an opportunity to have a family and share our culture with her,” the Spanish-speaking couple said.

The couple noted there are pros and cons to being the guardians of a grandchild.

“The advantage is to know that we can do something positive in the life of this child, but the disadvantage is that we’re not getting any younger,” the couple said.

Taking the guardianship of a child requires some orientation.
That’s why the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance offers two programs to help grandparents file guardianship petitions at no cost: the Grandparent Guardianship Project and the Guardianship Self-Help Center.

To qualify for the services, grandparents or those seeking guardianship of a child, must prove low-income and other eligibility requirements. Sample packets of guardianship petitions are provided to those who do not qualify for one-on-one assistance.

Other options for seeking guardianship include seeing an attorney or contacting a legal clinic. However, both of those options can be costly. Though legal clinics may only request $500 to help someone file a petition, an attorney can charge up to $2,500, Heglund said.

One of the greatest advantages of petitioning guardianship through either of the GBLA’s programs is that “they help people file error-free documents,” Heglund said.

By Rosario Ortíz (rortiz@bakersfield.com)