1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supporting Kinship Connections Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) 2,500,000 children in the United States are living in kinship care with grandparents or other relatives. (2) With the rise of substance abuse, including heroin and other opioid use, more kin caregivers are stepping up to raise children who are in need of foster care and permanent homes. (3) Grandparents and relatives residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every county of the United States have stepped forward out of love and loyalty to care for children during times in which parents are unable to do so. (4) Kinship caregivers provide safety, promote well-being, and establish stable households for vulnerable children. (5) Kinship care enables a child to maintain family relationships and cultural heritage and remain in the community of the child. (6) Kinship care is a national resource that provides loving homes for children at risk. (7) Kinship caregivers face daunting challenges to keep countless children from entering foster care. (8) Kinship navigator programs have been shown to proactively provide support to kinship caregivers in an effort to avert crises and potentially prevent more costly services. (9) Kinship placement decreases the likelihood that children will run away and end up on the streets where they are at risk of trafficking. (10) Children in kinship placements are less likely to be moved from placement to placement. (11) Children in kinship placements are less likely to struggle with behavioral health and less likely to be maltreated. 3. Grants to develop, enhance, or evaluate kinship navigator programs (a) In general Section 427 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 627 ) is amended to read as follows: 427. Kinship navigator program grants (a) Authority The Secretary shall make grants to States, to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or tribal consortia, and to community-based organizations to develop and enhance kinship navigator programs, or to