Being a single mother is not easy, especially if you are caring for multiple children. Single mothers will be happy to know that there is help available in the form of grants. These grants can be used for education, housing and other important needs for single mothers who want to be able to offer their children the very best life. With a little research, you can find the kind of grants you need to create a brighter future for yourself and your children.
Affordable Housing
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as well as several state agencies offer grants and low-interest loans to mothers who want to give their children a clean and stable home. The Community Development Block Grant Program is just one example of different ways that single mothers can apply for funding to buy or rent a better place to live.
Career Development
The National Institutes of Health offer grants to help mothers who are involved in the medical research field to work towards their degree while caring for their family at the same time. This grant focuses specifically on single mothers who are just getting started in the research field, and it gives special consideration to those pursuing a health research job.
States such as New York and Kansas offer educational grants that help single mothers pursuing a trade or a higher education degree. The availability of these grants is based on the course availability in state-funded schools and the financial situation of the applicant, but it is definitely worth the time to call you state department of education and ask about these grants.
Educational Grants By Female Advocacy Groups
Single mothers should spend some time researching the many female advocacy groups around the country to find grant opportunities. Many advocacy groups offer educational grants to single mothers to help with tuition costs and child care arrangements while a single mother is pursuing her degree. The amount and criteria for each grant varies widely, so check with as many groups as you can to find the program that is right for you.
Medicaid
Single mothers should never forget that they can get health insurance coverage for themselves and their children through their state’s Medicaid program. Since Medicaid is a program administered by each state, you will have to contact your state Medicaid office to find out the eligibility criteria. Most states also offer special health insurance coverage for children that is funded by the federal and state governments.
LIHEAP
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is offered to single mothers and low income families to help with heating costs during the winter. If you are having problems keeping the heat on during the colder months of the year, you should look into this program.
When single mothers feel overwhelmed with raising their children and getting on with their lives, they should remember that there is help available. There are grant programs single mothers can use to improve their lives and help care for their children.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!