Help is on the way for Northern New Mexicans raising their relatives’ children.

But some say the aid is only a start.

The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department is accepting applications for a newly launched pilot program to provide support services and financial assistance to “kinship caregivers” in Rio Arriba and San Juan counties, the agency announced last week.

The program will provide $500 monthly stipends to 50 families per county and offer services to all kinship caregivers who need it. That will help bridge a gap in support services kinship caregivers in New Mexico — who often take in some of the state’s most vulnerable children — have long been concerned about.

“Kinship caregivers help keep these children connected to their roots and their communities,” department

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