Pennsylvania State Assistance For Single Mothers
Help For Single Moms In Pennsylvania
Single moms in the state of Pennsylvania have many resources they can turn to when they need a little extra help. These programs are designed to help needy families become self-sufficient, and the emphasis of many programs is on job training and the ability to access employment.
Childcare - Under the Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care Program, families who are within certain income guidelines can get help paying for childcare expenses. The program is offered to those using childcare so they can work, which would apply to most single moms. Qualified families must have moms who work at least 20 hours a week.
Healthcare – Healthcare is crucial to a child’s growth and development, but many single moms struggle to afford quality care. Medical Assistance is available through the state’s HealthChoices Managed Care Organization. Others can get help through the state’s Fee-for-Service option. Both are explained at the Department of Public Welfare website. Children can also get coverage for the Medical Assistance for Families, Pregnant Women, and Children program.
Food and Supplies – Often when a single mom loses the support of her spouse suddenly, it can leave a huge financial burden. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program offers help during this time in the form of cash assistance. Other programs that help single moms get through difficult times include Food Stamps, WIC (http://www.pawic.com/), and community outreach programs. Food banks, like the Central PA Food Bank are another resource to turn to when you need good food for your family.
Transportation – Many urban areas in Pennsylvania have excellent public transportation options. These provide reliable transportation for single parents who are looking for a way to hold down a job.
Rent Assistance – Several rent assistance options are offered to Pennsylvania moms who need help. These include Privately owned subsidized housing, public housing, and the housing choice voucher program, all offered with the help of HUD.
College Grants – For many single moms, lack of a college degree is the primary thing that holds them back from pursuing a better career. Night classes and online colleges make it possible to balance work, family, and school responsibilities, making now the best time to return to school. To find out about college grants available in Pennsylvania, look into the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. You can find School Scholarships that you may qualify for that provide even more financial assistance. Also, file the FAFSA to determine if you are eligible to receive any federal aid.
More Single Mom Resources |
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
My name is Maritza Sabat. I currently reside in East Stroudsburg, PA. I am a Hispanic single parent of two children. My daughter who is 13 and my son who is 5. I recently lost my job in March of this year because of transportation issues. The commuting between PA to NY took a toll on my car. With over 243,000 miles on it the engine was in dire need of extensive repairs that I could not afford so I sold it to a junk yard for a mere $164. I am on unemployment benefits now and I am currently a student again at Northampton Community College. I started to pursue my studies to become a Registered Nurse in Jan 2009 but had to postpone because of financial need so I went back to work full time to pay my bills. My first semester I did really good and have a 3.0 average so far. I know I am meant to be in this profession. I am not looking for a free ride or a handout just a little help so I can get back on my feet and support myself. I am in need of a working vehicle. Is there any programs, loans or grants that I can apply and possibly qualify for my situation? My son’s daycare had to drop him because I am unable to bring him to the center. I live in a secluded area with no public transportation at all. A vehicle is a necessity. I don’t want to be forced to give up on school. Other than the unemployment benefits I am currently receiving assistance from the state of Pennsylvania. My ultimate goal is to join the Air Force as a nurse. If you could point me in the right direction to someone who can help me if there is nothing you can do. I do not want to become a statistic because of the mistakes that I have made. I refuse to give up on achieving my goals because of these setbacks. I am asking for a chance to prove that when the odds are high that doesn’t mean there is no way to still succeed in life. Its NEVER too late. NOTHING is ever impossible.
Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.
God Bless.
Sincerely,
Maritza Sabat
Look at our transportation articles. They talk about a lot of programs you may not have known about, like credit unions and non-profits that could potentially help you to get a free or extremely low cost car. In answer to your loan question, there are always plenty of loans, grants and scholarships that could be of help to you. Take a look in our educational financial aid section - it’ll tell you about all the different loans and grants you can get. Also, you may want to look into single mother programs at some universities in your area, such as Misericordia, who has a Women with Children program that provides free housing, childcare, etc.
My name is Laurice, and I am a 25-year old single-mother to a 4-year old boy. I am also a full-time student and work less than part-time. The reason I am writing here is that I am hopeful that someone would know where to get resources in times of need (such as help with household needs- toiletries, gas, etc).
I was woken up today at 10am by my son, Michael, who has been running high of fever since last night. I was up till 5am studying for my quiz today in Algebra- which may I say, I am horrible at. Anyway, we go into the kitchen to make breakfast. My son drinks chocolate milk first thing in the morning and before bed time. It has been his habit to pull out the milk & chocolate syrup from the fridge and set them on the counter while I get a pot of coffee going. He then said that he cant have breakfast coz we dont have enough milk for both his drink & cereals. I scanned through my fridge and the cupboards to see what we have to make. I realized, we really had nothing to put together but a box of marshmallow fudge brownies. The strain was already making itself known, I thought. After we had made the brownies, I looked into my bank amd credit accounts again, hoping all the negative signs might change from the last time I checked which was last night when I was scuffling for change to get some Tylenol for my son who had a temperature of 102.3. Since the only luck I had last night was a $10 loan from my sister which was spent on Tylenol and a tube of toothpaste, I hoped that today may be different. So I got online with a positive attitude and started doing research of where I might be able to get some help. Okay, food banks. I have called places and I guess you have to make an appoinment to pick up food. So I though okay, well, I’ll reserve the emergency food places for really desperate times. I was also looking up for toiletries. As I went on doing search, I started feeling like I am a beggar… Yes, the strain of daily living has made itself known.. Why is it like that? Probably because help is the hardest thing to find anymore. Yesterday, I received a mail from the assistance office saying that my food stamps benefit will be dropping in the net month from $150 to $46 a month! What am I gonna do with that? Does anyone really go to a grocery store to get at least a week worth of food and come up with a total of $46? Should I have my child live on can goods which is the only cheap edible thing anymore these days? Would it be healthy to have vienna sausage & bread for lunch, ramen noodles for dinner; next day, Spam sandwich for lunch & a can of ravioli for dinner; and so on…
Aahhh…. I dont know.. I guess this blog is more to vent than anything else… I am currently in the bathroom, have been here for a half hour now. Just sitting and venting on this blog. This bathroom is actually my sanctuary- this is where I breakdown behind the walls of the world… Where noone else have to see the desperation in my face that I see each day. Coz really, once I walk out of this bathroom, a different me has to live my life and who I am now will have to be suppressed until I have the urge to ran back here….
You’ll probably have trouble making sense out of this blog, since I, myself have trouble getting a sense of how I really feel. So like I said, I guess this is more to vent..
Ask your local assistance office for a list of places and phone numbers of agencies that can help in times of crisis. take time to go to.the places in person people run these place and they are more likely to dig in and help. don’t forget to ask an agency when you are there if they know of.anybody else that can help ( most agencies know other agencies employees on first name basis) make a date with your son and go.to a soup kitchen 2 x week. pray ask your church or any catholic or Luther church for help. I been there and survived and when u make it give back good luck
Absolutely. For assistance from non-profits, you can take a look at this information for more help if you need to.
I would definitely take a look at our local resources page. It can tell you quite a bit about where to turn for assistance, as well as ways to get free money (which I know sounds like a scam, but there’s really many ways to get both cash and resources for free.) Don’t feel like you have to wait until the situation gets dire!
Hope this helps
we need to reach out to the rich, the goverment everybody.. plus im sure they would like a nice write off. im a single mother i work full time and i have to either pay a bill or buy food. but all these programs look at my gross income and i make to much.. they never look at what i take home.. we need not to put our hands out but saying please help… in the bible remember Jesus fed the hungry and the sick no one was ever turned away all they had to do is say help
hI MY NAME IS VAL AND I’M A SINGLE MOM OF A 11 . YEAR OLD DAUGHTER I’M CURRENTLY IN COLLEGE FOR ANESTHESIA TECH AND I CANT MAKE ENDS MEET. sometimes we don’t have enough money to get thru a week or pay bills and whats worsr my car went down on easter weekend. I need to try and get it fixed or get a more reliable car because if i dont i cant grduate in 2 months. I need a car to get to clinical sites to finish my course of study so i could provide properly for my daughter . I need help or ideas where i could get assistance please let me know
I am currently a single mom to a 3mth old, as my husband has been recently incarcerated . I was unaware that he was in any legal trouble or that he would be incarcerated. Things were already a struggle and now they are even worse. I am unsure what to do as the state offers little help to me as they say I make too much money ( which is why I am broke). I have no family and his family offers no help. Is there any help from the state in this type of situation. I am so unsure of what to do or where to turn.
My name is Donna, Im a single mother to a 3 year old. I make $12 an hour and live in montgomery county. I moved into a real nice 3 bedroom rental with my at the time fiance. Since being here he and i split and he left, which has made our 2 income household to just me.I have a car payment of 405 a month, my rent is 1100 a month, daycare alone is 1050 a month, i have no money for anything!!!! I have tried subsadized, food stamps, cash assistance, LIHEAP, and all have rejected me because my Gross income is more then they allow. Which i think is just insane. I have no help anywhere. The only thing i am able to do is go to the food bank, which really only has gotten me canned goods. Thats not going to last me forever. I cant properly provide for my daughter and its killing me. What can I do? I want to go back to school but finincially i cant do that, plus what would i do with my daughter at night while im at school because i have to go at night in order to keep my full time job. Can someone help me? I cant take this much longer.