TURNERS FALLS — The unmet needs of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and the lack of housing in Franklin County were the focus of The United Arc’s annual Coffee and Conversation event last week.

In partnership with the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), The United Arc updated legislators on some of the pressing issues facing the county’s most vulnerable populations.

Friday’s event kicked off with Sandra Vecchio, a grandparent raising their grandchild and The United Arc’s event and communication generalist. Vecchio said there are about 34,000 “grandfamilies” in the state and approximately 890 in Franklin County. Of those families, half of them live under the poverty level.

“This number may seem miniscule,” Vecchio said of the 890 families, “but it is not to the families that live without having enough money and supports to help them get through the day to take care of their grandchild.”

Vecchio pointed out the differences in benefits that grandparents who receive court-guardianship status get compared to children who are supported by the Department of Children and Families, including quarterly stipends of up to $410 for DCF children, while grandparents receive a $500 annual clothing allowance from the Department of Transitional Assistance.

DCF also helps provide legal services, child care, Individualized Education Program advocacy and other services, while a grandparent may only receive some additional education assistance.

“There is a huge, huge canyon, if you will, of services that are provided to DCF,” Vecchio said. “We don’t get that. We are taking our grandchildren and providing them with a familiar home, surrounded by extended family. We’re giving them the support they need, the advocacy they need, the love they need and all the assurances we can give them.”

Addressing the critical housing shortage in Franklin County, which has less than 1% availability for both apartments and houses, NELCWIT Executive Director Amanda Sanderson said there are “very few supportive housing options in the region” for folks with intellectual disabilities, seniors and women leaving abusive situations.

“What we’re seeing is a more intense need for housing and an inability to leave unsafe housing. … Often, the wait list is so long that it does not make a difference,” Sanderson said. “We’re really attuned to the needs that are facing these three populations and we do not see our traditional options for serving those populations meeting the rising need.”

Additionally, Sanderson noted there are no options for emergency or transitional housing for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

To address this shortage, Sanderson said there is an opportunity for organizations like NELCWIT and The United Arc to come together and create housing complexes for these populations. While it is just conceptual at this point, she said they are exploring a property in Northfield that could fit the bill and make a difference for the region.

“We could create a real option for people to be a community within a community,” Sanderson said. “We are thinking about what we could do to bring this to Franklin County. We think this could be a generational game-changer.”

Other speakers included Maureen McMahon, a staff attorney at the Greenfield Court Service Center, and Mary-Beth Landy, a manager of recruitment, training and support with the Federation for Children with Special Needs.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.