| Many single mother families live in poverty, with | | | | grants for single women. They have helped save |
| difficulty putting a roof over their heads and food | | | | many families from disaster. However, for the |
| in their mouths. The reason is that many single | | | | long-term, the single mother must find a good job. |
| mothers have only a low level of education and | | | | That usually means an expensive college |
| also face gender discrimination at work. The | | | | education resulting in an associate degree or full |
| situation is worst for a woman whose husband | | | | degree. Fortunately, finding such educational grants |
| suddenly divorces or abandons her, because such | | | | for women is easy. |
| abandonment is still a social stigma and she will | | | | Right out the bat, the federal government |
| receive little sympathy, unlike the case for a | | | | provides the free Pell Grant for women, which |
| suddenly widowed mother. Fortunately, regardless | | | | pays up to $5550 of the college tuition fee for |
| of circumstances, she can apply for grants for | | | | her. Assuming she is from the very lowest strata |
| women from both the federal and state | | | | of society, she may also be eligible for the |
| governments to help save her family. | | | | FSEOG, which contributes another $4000. That's |
| Besides the usual federal Social Security, state | | | | $9550 in total (if she receives the maximum grant |
| unemployment benefits and workers' comp, one | | | | amounts), which exceeds the $9000 of the typical |
| of the most important grants for single mothers | | | | tuition fee of a community college. |
| is the federal food stamp program. It had long | | | | Of course, not everyone will be eligible to receive |
| gone out of fashion, and the switch to an | | | | the full sum of both federal grants. Fortunately, |
| electronic card system (and name change to | | | | many state governments award their own |
| SNAP) had almost completely put it out of public | | | | student grants and scholarships on top of the Pell |
| view. But the food stamp has come back with a | | | | Grant. Some of these scholarships are awarded |
| vengeance because of the recent recession, one | | | | directly by the state's Department of Education, |
| of the worst in living memory. | | | | while others have set up a non-profit corporation |
| Another useful grant for low-income single women | | | | to handle the administration of funds. |
| with families is the subsidized housing program run | | | | All this speculation makes the assumption that our |
| by the federal government. It is variously called | | | | single mother/woman only did so-so in her SAT. |
| Section 8, Housing Choice Vouchers Program or | | | | If she scored well, she actually has a whole array |
| Rental Assistance Program, depending on who | | | | of federal, state and private scholarships available |
| you talk to. This program is operated by the US | | | | to her in addition to the above needs-based |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | | | | scholarships. Ultimately, finding and applying for |
| (HUD) with the aim of helping Americans in | | | | these basic grants for women is not a difficult |
| financial need find cheap places to stay. Many | | | | feat. While not necessarily well-known, most social |
| state governments also run their own programs, | | | | welfare case officers and charity workers at |
| some in competition, but most in support of the | | | | women's shelters should be able to give this same |
| official federal program. | | | | advice. |
| These are the three emergency, short-term free | | | | |