Being a single mother is challenging, its not often possible to save due to expenditures when the fundamental end goal is to become self sustaining. Many single mothers do not even dream of – for example – owning a house, however there are plenty of grant programs offering government assistance for single mothers to help meet their needs, from food; medical and education, to mortgage support.
Housing assistance
Aside government assistance for single mothers, there are various organisations which assist with single parent housing. Prior to 2008, The Nehemiah Foundation was a highly sought-after grant program offering 6% coverage on the total sales price of the applicant’s desired home. Due to a U.S. Senate bill passed in October 2008, privately funded down payment assistance programs were no longer an option for prospective homebuyers. Nehemiah continues however to provide individuals and families with the opportunity to responsibly achieve their homeownership goals.
Government assistance for single mothers can be useful however when applying for different grants, its best to not be set on just one and to expand you options to private funders as well. Especially in the case of home grants. Nehemiah’s state-of-the-art wealth empowerment and homeowner assistance programs include;
- Down payment assistance programs;
- Homeownership education courses ;
- Wealth empowerment programs; and
- Individual development account programs.
The Housing and Urban Development otherwise known as HUD provides government assistance for single mothers by way of professional advice and assistance during the application process. Habitat for Humanity on the other hand affords the grant winners funding to build their own home.
Government WIC program
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides government assistance for single mothers by way of nutritious foods, nutrition education (including breastfeeding promotion and support), and referrals to health and other social services to participants at no charge.
WIC serves low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk. WIC is not an entitlement program in other words Congress does not set aside funds to allow eligible individuals to participate in the program, instead, WIC is a Federal grant program for which Congress authorizes a specific amount of funding each year for program operations.
The Food and Nutrition Service, providing government assistance for single mothers, which administers the program at the Federal level, provides these funds to WIC State agencies (State health departments or comparable agencies) to pay for WIC foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and administrative costs.
As the website further explains, WIC’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program is available in all 50 States, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Commonwealth Islands of the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. WIC government assistance for single mothers is available to mothers who meet income guidelines, State residency requirements and are individually determined to be at “nutrition risk” by a health professional. To be eligible on the basis of income, applicants’ income must fall at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines (currently $41,348 for a family of four). A person who participates or has family members who participate in certain other benefit government assistance for single mothers programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, automatically meets the income eligibility requirement.
Nutritional assistance
WIC explains that two major types of ‘nutrition risks’ are recognized for eligibility:
- Medically-based risks such as anaemia, underweight, overweight, history of pregnancy complications, or poor pregnancy outcomes.
- Dietary risks, such as failure to meet the dietary guidelines or inappropriate nutrition practices.
Nutrition risks are determined by a health professional such as a physician, nutritionist, or
nurse, based on Federal guidelines and the assessment is free to program applicants.
In most WIC State agencies, WIC government assistance for single mothers participants receive checks or vouchers to purchase foods each month designed to supplement their diets with nutrients that benefit its target population.
Certain states issue an electronic benefit card to participants instead of paper checks or vouchers known as electronic benefit transfer (EBT). Food package types vary between ‘infant cereal, iron-fortified adult cereal, vitamin C-rich fruit or vegetable juice, eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, dried and canned beans/peas, and canned fish. Soy-based beverages, tofu, fruits and vegetables, baby foods, whole wheat bread, and other whole-grain options were recently added to meet participant nutritional needs.’
Government assistance for single mothers such as WIC recognizes and promotes breastfeeding as the optimal source of nutrition for infants. When a local WIC agency has reached its maximum caseload, vacancies are filled in the order of the following priority levels, as per the website:
- Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants determined to be at nutrition risk.
- Infants up to 6 months of age whose mothers participated in WIC or could have participated and had a medical problem.
- Children at nutrition risk because of a nutrition-related medical problem.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women seeking government assistance for single mothers are also on the priority list for infants at nutrition risk because of an inadequate dietary pattern.
- Children at nutrition risk because of an inadequate dietary pattern.
- Non-breastfeeding, postpartum women with any nutrition risk.
- Individuals at nutrition risk only because they are homeless or migrants, and current participants who, without WIC foods, could continue to have medical and/or dietary problems.
Since a major goal of the WIC Program of government assistance for single mothers is to improve the nutritional status of infants, participants are encouraged to breastfeed their infants, unless medically contraindicated. The government website provides additional information in this regard.
Health benefits
Government assistance for single mothers by way of health benefits is available via Medicaid. This program is only available only to eligible low-income individuals and families as recognized by federal and state law. Medicaid sends direct payments to your health care providers and does not pay cash out directly to the recipient. Many groups of people are covered by Medicaid criteria, which include age, pregnancy status, disabled, blind, aged and whether you are a U.S. citizen or a lawfully admitted immigrant.
By visiting the GovBenefits and BenefitsCheckUp websites, you can see if you may be eligible for a variety of government assistance for single mothers programs. Cover may start retroactive to any, or all of the 3 months prior to application and stops at the end of the month. Most States have additional “State-only” programs to provide medical assistance for specified poor persons who do not qualify for the Medicaid program.
Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all poor persons under the auspice of government assistance for single mothers. Low income is only one test for Medicaid eligibility and categorically needy persons who are eligible for Medicaid may or may not also receive cash assistance from the TANF or SSI programs. For any additional information concerning programs, benefits and grant assistance from the government for single mothers the us.gov website is informative and thorough. Furthermore, your local government department will provide clarification for state required eligibility where pertinent.