There are many resources available offering single parent benefits in the form of emotional and physical support. Whether via groups for counselling or grants for food, housing and education.
Examples of such organisations include the Single Parent Resource Center; SingleMom.com and The Bethel Foundation.
Since single mothers need additional support, SingleMom.com was formed to assist single mothers with resources and tools to help them through tough times. The site provides a comfortable, stable, supportive information environment offering single parent benefits such facing issues together in the Forum, that affect them and their children and helping them through tough life transitions.
SingleMom provides guidance, emotional support and ultimately a means for capacity building and fostering self-reliance. Single parent benefits of accessing the resources on the site include gaining insights in to everything from Parenting; Child Support; Career Development; Health and Well Being; Finance and Housing to Government Grants.
Single parent benefits via organisations and focus groups
The Bethel Foundation is one of many faith-based nonprofit organizations helping single mothers with education, spiritual mentoring and parenting services. Their aim is to help single mothers get back on their feet. Bethel offers the following single parent benefits;
- Home Ownership Program to provide housing to create a better home for your children;
- Grace Scholarship (Gap Fund to help when you have exhausted all other avenues);
- Outdoor Adventure Camp for Boys(Ages 6 to 16 years old);
- Healthy Lifestyle “Kids Rock Camp” for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students;
- Resume Building for Employment by appointment;
- Cooking Classes (Healthy Lifestyle);
- Community Center Provide necessities in times of struggle with quality clothing; and
- Emergency Food Bank Agency.
At Bethel, each single mother who completes the life skills mentoring and counseling program is given the single parent benefits of the option of purchasing the home they stayed in while the Bethel Foundation helped them to get on their feet.
The Single Parent Resource Center, Inc. is located in mid-town Manhattan and was formed in 1975 as a small pilot program of the Community Service Society of New York. Now the organisation is an independent non-profit, and the only of its kind devoted to comprehensively providing programs and services for New York City’s single parents and their families.
Single parent benefits at the SPRC are available in the form of services to support those living in transitional housing; struggling with substance abuse or who have been recently incarcerated. In addition, the SPRC develops responsive programs for single parents and their families to fulfill needs.
The SPRC also advocates for improvements in the social practices, policies and regulations affecting single parent families. Most importantly, single parent benefits from the existence of the SPRC include its efforts to promote a positive image of single parents and their families within the New York City community. This is a great task since the media continues to uphold stigmas attached to single parenting which are, in fact, outdated.
Single parent benefits: employment and health
When it comes to employment opportunities single parents need to carefully scrutinize their benefits packages closely. Be aware that you will save time and money by viewing the benefits offered by a prospective employer to speak volumes about the corporate culture, company priorities – and most importantly whether they value single parents as employees.
Before you even begin to negotiate with your next employer, have a clear picture of your needs and pay special attention to schedule flexibility and child care requirements. Take a comprehensive list of demands with you into negotiations and even if a prospective employer can’t pay as much as you want, you may be offered single parent benefits (such as subsidized, on-site child care) which compensate for the income difference by saving you time and stress.
Basic requirements namely a decent wage, health insurance, and a little flexibility in the work schedule need to be present before you can consider accepting an offer of employment. In fact, employers are finding that few employees are as loyal, dedicated and driven to succeed as those motivated by the powerful responsibility of raising a child alone.
Young, healthy and childless employees may be able to get by for a while without a medical plan, but single parent benefits are essential and health insurance provides a financial safety net that you will desperately need in case of an accident or a chronic or life-threatening disease. Many employers are enrolled in HMOs or PPOs which preventive health care, emergencies and hospitalization. Others offer employees a variety of medical coverage options to choose from however don’t make assumptions about an employer’s health plan.
Health plans must be well read to consider which single parent benefits they do and don’t cover including what portion of the premiums you’ll be expected to pay. If there is an unusually high deductible its worth finding out whether the company contributes to employee Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). These are investment accounts into which either the employer or the employee (but not both in the same year) make tax-deductible contributions. The money in an MSA will cover eligible medical expenses, which the health plan does not. In order to become more informed about MSAs visit the IRS at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov and link to Publication 525.
When considering the importance of single parent benefits in a prospective job, experts suggest that ‘whether you’re offered a no deductible PPO paid for entirely by the employer or a high deductible plan with only half of the premium paid by the employer, health care expenses should be factored into your salary requirements. ‘ Also, never divulge salary requirements to an employer until you’ve been offered the position and salary negotiations have begun. Know the going rate for someone with your qualifications, and exactly what you need – be prepared to walk if you don’t get it.
Single parent benefits: resources
Support Groups offering platforms either from which to directly derive single parent benefits, or to share resources about where to find them include:
- The National Center for Fathering: Provides research-based training, practical tips and resources to help men be the involved fathers, grandfathers, and father figures their children need. www.fathers.com
- The National Organization of Single Mothers. Networking systems helping single mother meet the challenges of daily life with wisdom, dignity, confidence and courage. Website: www.singlemothers.org
- Parents Without Partners. Educational organization of single parents (divorced, separated, widowed or never married). Single parent benefits include a newsletter, online chat room. chapter development guidelines.: www.parentswithoutpartners.org
- Single Mothers By Choice. Support and information to mature, single women who have chosen, or who are considering, single motherhood www.singlemothersbychoice.com
- Single Parent Resource Center. Network of single parent self-help groups. Information and referral, seminars, consultation, resource library. Separate group for men and coed groups. www.singleparentusa.com
- Widowed Persons Service. A self-help organization for men and women who are widowed and can derive single parent benefits in the form of daytime and evening support groups and programs are available at more than 270 sites across the United States. Local referrals can be received by calling (616) 538-0101