Lending a Helping Hand to Single Mothers
Introduction
The numbers of single parents within the society is at an all-time high. The majority of the single parents are single mothers raising several children either with material support from the fathers or no support at all. These single mothers struggle to raise their children as the sole providers as well as parental figures. While many of these women work hard and end up having two or more jobs, the costs of raising a child alone, let alone many children, are extremely burdensome to single mothers. Because the challenges of single parenthood are well known, there are some grants for single moms that are created to help them live a decent life with their children. These grants can be the difference between struggling to make ends meet as a single mother and living a decent and stable life.
Background
Why do single moms need grants? Single mothers are the sole earners for their households meaning that their income is the only source of livelihood for them and their children. The expenses of food, clothing and shelter are high for a single individual to cater to within the family. In addition, child care expenses such as day care centers are very costly to maintain without even considering the medical expenditure associated with children. The financial burden can become overwhelming especially for an individual from a low income background who has several children. Single mothers are likely to suffer from overwork and stress as they try to maintain a decent standard of living for themselves and their children.
How do Grants Help Single Mothers?
1. Going Back to School
Single mothers often elect to go back to school in terms of getting a university education in order to improve their chances of getting better paying jobs. Awards particularly designed for single mothers who want to graduate from college provide these women with the financial assistance to pay for tuition. Some higher educational facilities may offer a lower tuition for single mothers while other organizations may extend full tuition funding assistance to single mothers. These grants intend to encourage women especially those from lower income communities to strive to change what are often difficult life circumstances. This grants are offered by the federal government as well as private and non-governmental organizations that are invested in improving the circumstances of single moms.
2. Getting a Better Job.
There are programs and grants that aim to improve the work skills or the personal presentation of an individual in order to help them access better jobs. These grants offer training to enhance their skills and expose single mothers to professional working environments. This is an important benefit for low income single mothers who may not have professional experience.
3. Government Benefits for Single Mothers
This form of assistance focuses of providing single mothers with funds for their basic survival. Essentially, the government provides monthly stipends that aid the single mothers in their day to day expenses. The awarding of these grants is dependent on whether or not the single mother has a job and if so what is their income status. They are usually reserved for individuals who are unemployed or have very low paying jobs that cannot cater to their needs.
4. Financial Assistance in Paying Bills.
There are some awards that are designed to aid single mothers in paying their bills. These grants help single mother pay for the rent or even utilities in their houses by subsidizing the costs and making them cheaper. This type of grant can be a lifesaver given that the assistance can function in the form of an extra money source for the household. These endowments are often government funded and will consider the number of children an individual has in addition to their income status. The financial assistance in paying bills is probably the most important type of grant available to single mothers.
Summary
Evidently, the grants that are designed for single mothers can help them cope as single parents while also improving their lives. If you feel that you are struggling as a single mother, attempt to obtain one of these grants to ensure that you and your children have a decent life.