WORCESTER, Mass. - Millions of dollars will soon benefit grandparents raising their grandchildren in Worcester.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren visited the Central Community Branch YMCA in the city Wednesday to discuss the $3 million she helped secure for Senior Connection. The organization offers services, like transportation or legal assistance, to seniors.

The money will be used to develop affordable housing geared towards grandparents raising grandchildren. It's something Sen. Warren says is happening across the country.

"It is so much more important to do this than it is to put children into foster care when their parents are not able to care for them, which would be both such a terrible experience for the kids compared to being with your grandma or granddad," Warren said. "And also far more expensive. So this is one of those win win win, right? The children are better off with their grandparents. The grandparents better off knowing their grandchildren are taken care of, but they got to have the services to make this work." 

U.S. Census data shows an estimated 6.7 million grandparents lived with a grandchild under 18 in 2021. More than 2 million of those grandparents were responsible for the basic care of the child.