In most cases it is much more difficult to raise a child as a single parent than it is in a two-parent family situation. The costs of raising a child are quite steep and the many needs that kids have more often than not get rather strenuous for single parents who solely depend on their own salaries.
The government has taken these matters into consideration and has subsequently created programs aimed at helping such parents get by, although there are some eligibility concerns that have to be attained for qualification. It is therefore not every single parent who can benefit from these programs but rather those whose incomes are deemed insufficient for the costs of raising their children. The following are some of the ways that the government chips in to assist single parents.
1Single Parent Benefits and Assistance with Childcare Expenses
There is government help for single mothers and fathers to meet childcare expenses through the Department of Health and Human Services. This assistance is mainly focused on such parents who definitely require childcare more so because they often have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Rather than provide money directly to these parents, the department’s Child Care and Development Fund allocates monies so as to finance state childcare assistance programs. Single mothers and fathers who need this assistance just have to apply at their local or state agencies and give proof that childcare is required thanks to schooling or job considerations on their part. It is worth noting that maximum income limits are applicable and that the child must be below 13 years of age or have special needs.
2Single Parent Help with Medical Expenses
It is a fact that the medical expenses for a child can get rather high and subsequently be financially inconveniencing for single parents. For this reason it is possible to get assistance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid upon satisfactorily meeting a number of requirements. Pregnant women who earn rather low incomes can apply for Medicaid assistance and in the event that they are under this program when their children are delivered both mother and child will be covered by the program’s benefits. Additionally, qualification for this assistance is extended to limited income parents of kids aged 18 years or below as well as those who have children that require nursing care on a full time basis.
3Single Parent Help with Insurance for Children
To complement the aforementioned assistance courtesy of Medicaid it is possible for low income single parents to secure insurance for their children through CHIP, i.e., the Children’s Health Care Insurance Program. This program was initiated in 1997 and later re-empowered in 2009; its role is to ensure that millions of children are guaranteed to get healthcare coverage as funded by the State and Federal governments. Each state runs its own program and this enables the concerned authorities to design the program modalities and decide on the coverage levels and eligibility regulations as well as to monitor administration activities.
4Single Parent Help with Child Development Services
The government through the Head Start program ensures that single parents receive assistance aimed at readying their children for school. Under this program funds are availed to public and private agencies so that these can help needy parents access the requisite child development services. These services cover issues including education, healthcare, nutrition and other related child development requirements. Applications for this assistance are made at local Early Head Start or Head Start offices.
5Assistance through Issuing of Food Stamps
Food stamps are provided through the Department of Human Services. Applications for these are made similarly to those made for financial assistance and successful applicants are provided with food stamps as well as free/reduced school meals. Each applicant’s case is reviewed accordingly to ensure that it meets the stipulations provided for accessing these food programs and applications can also be made to the main office at the school where the child studies. These food programs are vital in that they allow financial resources to be spread to other facets of a child’s life without sacrificing on nutrition.
6Assistance with Electricity and Heat Services
Single parents can also apply for assistance in as far as heat supply for warming their houses is concerned. The applications for such Energy Assistance are made to one’s resident county. This assistance is really an emergency fund where people at the risk of losing electricity and heat services receive county assistance.
7Help with Housing Matters
Single parent families that meet the desired financial criteria are eligible for two entitlement programs that are offered by the HUD, i.e., the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The first of this pair is the Low Income Housing program and it deals with housing units owned by the HUD and built in the form of community or apartment buildings. The second program is known as the Section Eight Housing and it characteristically has a significant waiting list to reckon with. This program involves an applicant finding an apartment that befits him or her and subsequently coming into agreement with the landlord such that he/she (the applicant, i.e., consumer/tenant) will pay a portion of the required rent, with the HUD taking care of the remaining sum. Applicants have to find apartments whose rents are ‘reasonable’ as deemed by the program. To access these programs single parents can approach their local HUD offices and fill out the provided application forms. For assistance with the required telephone numbers you can get in touch with the Department of Human Services in your county.
