Single Mom Help – College Education Grants And Personal Grants For Minority Single Mothers
Traditionally, raising a family is a full-time responsibility. That is why, until recently, the mother stayed home and the father went out to work. But a single mother household does not have this choice – the mother must perform the role of both breadwinner and caregiver because there is no “man of the house”. If the woman has a well-paid career, she can at least provide for the material needs of her children. But what if she does not have a college education and can only find menial jobs to do?
Fortunately, there is some help available for the financially poor single mom from the federal government. One of these is the food stamp program, now known as SNAP. In the bad old days, this took the form of actual coupons that had to be torn out. Now, the modern food stamp is stored inside an electronic card that can be recharged at certain SNAP offices. These food stamps can be used to make food purchases from participating stores.
Another important source of help are the subsidized housing programs provided by some state governments. The actual form and criteria of assistance vary from state to state, but the intention is usually the same – to provide affordable housing for US citizens. In some cases, this may mean low-cost housing, in others it may mean cheap rentals, low-interest mortgages or even actual subsidies.
Of course, for the jobless single mother, there is always the unemployment check. Unfortunately, not everyone qualifies for this, and even then, the checks will not come forever. However, they can be useful in an emergency to help the family survive until the mother is able to get back on her feet.
By far the most popular form of grants for minority single mothers (in fact, for all women in financial need) are grants for education. Popular, at least, with those who have to give away the money. By their very nature, single mother low income college grants and scholarships automatically eliminate many forms of abuse. They also quickly separate those with the strength and determination to improve their lives from those who just want someone to give them money.
Single mother grants of this type are awarded by both the federal government and by private non-profit foundations. Some are in the form of private grants, like the Pell grant and FSEOG grant which are awarded as college scholarships. Others are paid to various organizations providing special services, like the Federal Work Study program, the Stafford student loan program and the Perkins student loan program.
This kind of differentiation is not unique to the federal government grants mentioned above. The Philanthropic Educational Organization does something similar, with grants made for alternative student loans, scholarships for teenage female high school graduates going to college, scholarships for older women returning to school and scholarships for women pursuing postgraduate studies.
Officially, many of these grants do not limit themselves to scholarships for single mothers. They are often open to a wider segment of the population. For example, the Pell grant is open to any US citizen who wants to get his or her first college degree and can show a need for financial help. In reality, of course, the applicants needing the most help are from minorities and single mother households. The same applies to the PEO’s Program for Continuing Education. While it only mentions women and does not specifically mention mothers, it does also say “… return to school to support themselves and/or their families”, which would usually be taken to mean mothers with children.
Working, studying and raising a family are all full-time tasks. For a single person to do all three at the same time is extremely difficult and entails great sacrifices. But the modern, knowledge-based economy does need college graduates for even entry level jobs, and it is becoming impossible for a single woman to support a family with only a menial job due to the increasing cost of living.
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