Daron Reliford, 17, lives in Grandparents Family Apartments with his great-grandmother Evelyn. Reliford was a gunshot victim. Photo courtesy of NYDailyNews.com.

Jeers to New York state for it proposal to cut funding at Grandparent Family Apartments in the Bronx, according to this YourNabe.com article.

The apartments are reserved for grandparents who are raising grandchildren. Social workers provide group counseling sessions, homework assistance, field trips and other programs to keep children away from gangs and drugs.

Proposed state budget cuts would not cause residents to be evicted but eliminate social work programs for the children.

“You’ll have incarceration, I believe, if our kids will be put back on the streets,” said Katherine Martinez, who is deputy director of Presbyterian Senior Services and head social worker at the apartments. “Not having the programs will put them back into harms way.”

Social workers help young people overcome life’s hurdles. To learn more, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Web pages by clicking here.