Government Grants for Single Mothers: Non-educational Grants

Ordinarily, all grants are need based. All over the world, needs of women are being treated carefully to enhance the gender ratio at the workplace. In the USA there is a plethora of grants for single mothers. Often the grants marked in this category have specific issues to address – sometimes it is health education, some grants are meant for food and housing, and some for the kids’ welfare, etc.

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the basic grants for single mothers in the USA. The grants extend support to low income group families, single mothers and individuals. The grant money can be used to buy food staff and nutrition services. Ensuring food and minimum health to the needy American is the exclusive objective of the grant.
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program is a special nutrition program meant for the needy American women and young citizens. The program included federal grants for food, nutrition education, health care referrals, etc for women only. Women from low-income brackets and also pregnant and/or breastfeeding women and kids below five are eligible for this assistance.
• Medicaid, another healthcare assistance, in the form of health insurance, is available to the US single mothers. The grant ensures low cost health coverage to mother and her family under medical protection in this scheme. The grant covers dental care service as well. Some states have extended the benefit under this scheme to all citizens below specified income levels including the aged and the disable.
• The Section 8, Federal Housing Program , too, has grants for sudden housing requirements. The scheme provides helps to low-income families, the elderly, the disabled, etc to cover a part of housing rent. Similarly, Salvation Army Housing Assistance for Single Mothers provides some emergency services including house rent, utility bills to single parents and pregnant women. The help is ordinarily a short term option and immediate needs such as food, clothing and sheltering are the prime concerns under the scheme.
• LifeLine & Link-Up Program for Low-Income Consumers is yet another welfare scheme that offers low-income families some respite from paying heavy bills for the telephone and internet services. The scheme offers discounted telephone and network services provided the customers receive services sold by some approved SPs. Low-income subscribers can thus get the benefit of lower cost up to $9.25 on th monthly phone bills.

Child Care Assistance for Single Mothers may also be included in the list. In many cases where mothers have to work full time or have to go to schools or colleges; child care becomes an unavoidable special need. Since the service is very expensive, this grant may alleviate the mother’s trouble to some extent. The Head Start is yet another federal program that extends similar assistance to needy mothers and children going to elementary schools.

Rounding Off

Interestingly, certain census reports observe that roughly 40% of single parent families headed by mothers belong below poverty line. Some analysts refer to such factors as weak social-safety networks, insufficient child support and low education attainment, etc as the main reason behind the scenario. It is true that many single mothers are fully or partially employed; but many earns very low salary and in positions without much future prospects. Under the circumstances, the government grants for single mothers may lend some genuine help, if not as much as required.