A lot of single mothers are unaware of how many support opportunities are out there to help them out. As a matter of fact, there are several support programs that specifically help single mothers with different kinds of issues. These support programs can come from the federal, state, or local government. Some of the benefits that single moms can find include child care, housing, medical bills, rent, utility bills, education, and so on. However, despite the fact that there are several different kinds of benefits out there that help single mothers, the funds can be limited. Which is why there are eligibility requirements in place. These requirements allow the programs to focus on those in need.
Different Kinds of Support Single Mothers Can Receive
A lot of programs and funding options support qualifying single mothers and households. Support can come in different forms. The ones responsible for providing these benefits are federal, state, and local agencies.
Popular Forms of Support
If you want to find out whether you can receive state or local benefits, then you should look at your area. There are some benefits that are only available to those who are staying in specific zip codes. Furthermore, there are some popular support opportunities from the federal government that can provide assistance to single mothers such as:
- Programs That Help with Children’s Nutrition
- The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
- Public Housing
- Medicaid
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Federal Government Pro Bono Program
- Early Head Start and Head Start Programs
Programs That Help With Children’s Nutrition
There is a wide range of programs that help with nutrition in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which include:
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
- School Breakfast Program (SBP)
- Team Nutrition (TN)
- Special Milk Program (SMP)
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
- Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
The NSLP was established in 1946 to offer nutritionally balanced and affordable meals to kids throughout the school year. Sometimes, these meals can even be free! NSLP offers assistance to public and private schools, along with residential childcare agencies.
School Breakfast Program (SBP)
Reimbursements are offered to states by SBP. The reimbursements are meant to go towards helping manage and administer breakfast support programs in schools and residential childcare agencies.
Team Nutrition (TN)
Programs that offer children with nutritional meals can receive assistance from Team Nutrition. That is why the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) created TN. This program offers training and support on nutrition education for kids, caregivers, schools, and the community. Through this education, Team Nutrition provides information on the importance of eating healthily and exercising regularly.
Special Milk Program (SMP)
Some kids cannot enroll in other types of federal meal support programs. SMP understands this and works on offering these kids some kind of support with milk! Through the federal government, this program offers compensation to schools that take part in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program for the milk they give kids.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
The CACFP compensates adult and children daycare centers and homes for the nutritional meals and snacks they offer. Agencies receive compensation for the meals they offer to qualifying kids or adults that take part in participating centers/homes. Additionally, the CACFP compensates meals that agencies serve to children that are in programs for after-school care, stay in an emergency shelter, or other eligible adults.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
This program receives funds from the federal government, but states operate the program. Agencies that provide nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks to eligible kids from low-income families can receive reimbursements from SFSP.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
A popular support option that offers assistance with food costs is SNAP. State agencies combine efforts with the FNS to offer eligible families and individuals that have a limited income “food stamps.” That way, they can manage food costs. You can get more information by reaching out to the USDA at 703-305-2062. Additionally, you can find more information online.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
WIC is a more specific version of SNAP. It focuses on offering benefits to women, babies, and kids. This program offers federal funding to state governments for them to use on expenses for nutrition education, formula, and referrals to healthcare services. These federal benefits help women who are breastfeeding or pregnant. Additionally, the program supports kids who are 5 years old and younger. If you want to know whether you qualify and can get these benefits, you should reach out to your local WIC agency. You can find more information from online resources too, which include websites from the government.
The Emergency Food Administration Program (TEFAP)
Qualifying mothers, individuals, and families that do not have enough income to cover grocery costs can get free food from TEFAP. You should know that if you want to get benefits, then you should meet the program’s qualifications. If you want more information on TEFAP and whether you qualify or not, their website is the best place to start. Additionally, you can reach out to the Food Distribution Division through their phone number 703-305-2680.
Public Housing
Another great form of support to help single mothers and their kids is public housing. Those who have limited access to income can find this affordable housing program very useful. One of the main disadvantages of public housing is that there are a lot of people who need it and not enough funds to cover the amount of need. A lot of people end up on waiting lists until housing is available. If you want more information, you should reach out to your local public housing authority (PHA).
Medicaid
Medicaid is a kind of medical support program that the federal government offers to assist qualifying Americans to manage medical costs. Each state has its own version of eligibility requirements, so you need to find out what your state requires. To find out more information, you can look it up online or reach out to your local state Medicaid office.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Qualifying single mothers that are living in America can get cash support from the TANF program. The TANF program was designed to help people achieve independence. Furthermore, it can offer single mothers the chance to start a career to help them create a stable and secure future for their kids in different ways. One specific way is through short-term cash support, which can help these mothers manage daily expenses. These daily expenses include groceries, education, shelter, and so on. If you want more information, you should consider reaching out to the Family Assistance Help Center at 202-401-9275 or visiting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
For those who are struggling with energy bills for their homes, LIHEAP is a great answer to that problem. This program can offer support on cooling and heating expenses to eligible households (which includes single mothers). You could automatically be eligible for support, in the case that you already receive benefits from other programs such as SNAP, TANF, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Additionally, you can also get benefits even if you do not already receive benefits from other federal programs. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can still qualify. For more information, visit their website or reach out to your local or state LIHEAP office.
Federal Government Pro Bono Program
If someone needs free legal support and/or mentoring services, then this program can help eligible single parents, individuals, and households that have limited income. For more information, you can find out online or reach out to the New York office at 212-760-2554.
Early Head Start and Head Start Programs
These programs were designed to offer support for kids that come from qualifying low-income families who need to prepare for school. The target group for the Early Head Start Program are pregnant women, and mothers with children that are younger than 3 years old. On the other hand, the target group for the standard Head Start program are kids from the ages three to five. These programs focus on encouraging the involvement of parents in different activities, providing volunteer options for parents, and so on. If you want more information, then you can check the Head Start Locator tool or reach out to the Service Center at 1-886-763-6481.
Single Mothers Can Apply For Grants Too!
Even though there is a wide range of programs out there for single mothers, there are even more types of support available, too! Some people prefer the benefits of programs, while others prefer the benefits that grants offer. A lot of sources offer grants, such as federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, or educational institutions. Many people look for grant funding because these types of funds do not need to be paid off. Single moms can find grants such as the following:
- Soroptimist International Grant
- The Amber Foundation Grant
- Wealthy Single Mommy Grant
Soroptimist International Grant
This grant option offers up to $16,000 to women through the Live Your Dream Awards which offers educational programs, financial grants, and so on. This program can offer financial support to women that are the main head of households, and also want to start working on a higher education degree. The grant comes in three levels:
- Level 1: More than 1,000 women get grants of up to $1,000.
- (Regional) Level 2: More than 100 of those that received the grant from Level 1 receive an extra $3,000 to $5,000.
- (International) Level 3: Three of those that received the grant from Level 2 receive an extra $10,000.
If you want more information and you want to apply online, you can do so through this website.
The Amber Foundation Grant
In 1988, womensnet.com established this grant foundation to pay homage to a young woman, Amber, who passed away at 19 years old. If you are a business owner who is also a single mother, this might be a good opportunity for you to think about. The program chooses a female business owner each month from a pile of applications to offer a grant of $2,000. Additionally, at the end of the year, the program offers a grant to an applicant worth $25,000. If you think that this is suitable for your situation and you want to apply, you can always look up their website to get more information. Good luck!
The Wealthy Single Mommy Grant
When Emma Johnson figured out that a lot of other women are in the same situation as her, she established www.wealthysinglemommy.com. A part of her website helps eligible single mothers through grants. The grant offers eligible women $1,000 and is called the “Kicka** Single Mom” grant. (You can take a guess on what we mean). Every month, a recipient for the grant funding is chosen by Johnson. Furthermore, the recipients generally use these funds for their careers, managing their finances, shelter, education, and so on.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of opportunities that single mothers can apply for, in terms of government assistance. You should keep in mind that every program’s eligibility requirements vary, depending on where you live. You should think about reaching out to your local agency for more information and how you can apply. It might feel like there is no hope or support, but there are a lot of assistance options out there to help you out. It could be from the federal, state, or local level. Whether you choose a program or a grant, you should make sure you look through all kinds of support. You never know what you might find and how you can benefit from it!