Pulling off the balancing act as a single mother can be a daunting task. There are several assistance programs, made available by the government and private sectors that can help single mothers in fulfilling their personal dreams and taking care of their family.
Single mothers handle multiple responsibilities, and have to work very hard to make ends meet. Most single mothers are in search of high-paying jobs to meet their household expenses. In their fast-paced life, they may not get the time to fulfill their educational aspirations.
Besides this, with a single income, solving the housing issue can also be a stumbling block. In what follows, we provide a review of the assistance programs that can aid single mothers in handling their finances and achieving their personal aspirations.
For Housing
The cost of homes is increasing rapidly, and hence financial assistance can prove to be very beneficial for single mothers. There are many housing assistance programs floated by the federal government. Single mother grants are offered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grants offered by this department can be very useful for single mothers who wish to take up homes on rent. The Shelter Plus Care Program is also a good example of a housing assistance program. It caters to the housing needs of women who have disabilities. Financial aid for housing can be sought by those women who earn less than fifty percent of the median income in their locality.
Then there are state housing finance agencies which help single mothers, with low-income, in finding affordable housing. Nehemiah Foundation and Habitat for Humanity are some renowned organizations for receiving housing grants.
Applying for low-income housing in time, by submitting a duly-filled application form to the concerned government departments, is essential to get benefits of these schemes, which are launched for public welfare. Helping hands, The Salvation Army, The American Red Cross and The United Way are some more non-profit organizations which work to improve the quality of life for single women.
For Education
Financial aid for single mothers returning to school can help them in continuing their education from some of the best institutes in their favorite subjects. The Federal Pell Grant can be extremely useful to finance study material cost and the tuition fees of a university.
At this point, we need to discuss the Obama college grants for mothers which are also known as the ‘Moms Return to School’ grants. These are educational grants up to $10,000. The Teach Grant can be useful for those who wish to become teachers after completing their education.
Smart Grants aim at helping women in their third or fourth year of undergraduate studies financially. Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is applicable for those single mothers who are studying in the first or second year in colleges.
Among scholarships, Raise the Nation and Project Working Mom are well-known scholarships for single mothers which take care of their university fees and study material expenses. These scholarships are paid yearly, at most places. Given below is the list of some more scholarships:
- Women’s Independence Scholarship Program (WISP)
- Single Mothers Scholarship Fund
- ROSE (Regaining One’s Self-esteem) Fund
- Doyen M. Green Scholarship
- Jeanette Rankin Foundation Scholarship
- National Society for Women Engineers Scholarship
- Denny’s Single Parent Student Scholarship
Obtaining financial assistance is possible, if you understand the prerequisites and requirements, and submit your documents such as age proof, income proof, employment details, and number of dependents.
