Housing Assistance For Single Mothers

Being a single mother can be very difficult if you don’t have a steady income.  Having to provide food and shelter for children can be hard if you don’t have a partner to support you.  It is important that you choose a location to rent that is affordable to you.  There are various government programs that are designed to give low income families assistance with their housing.  Housing assistance for single mothers is necessary for those who are looking for government assistance.

Housing Choice Vouchers

Families who are looking to rent low income housing have a number of options at their disposal.  The first thing you can do when searching for housing assistance is apply for a housing choice voucher.  These vouchers are designed to assist for low income families in finding safe, affordable and sanitary housing in the private market place.

Housing Choice Voucher

Also known as Section 8 housing, this is a program that operates across the country.  One of the key benefits to receiving Section 8 housing from the government is that the recipient is free to choose their own choice of residency.  This means you can choose any single family home, townhouse or apartment that meets the specified criteria of the program.  This does not limit you to looking at places that are subsidized for low income housing.

These vouchers are an important way to help subsidize rent for single mothers and low income families.  The program pays the landlord a percentage of the rent directly leaving the family to cover the rest of the rent.  This program allows low income families to survive off a single income through housing subsidies that are available.

Are you Eligible for a housing Choice Voucher? For the most part, your income should not be in excess of 50% of the median income in your district or metropolitan area.  At least 75% of these vouchers are reserved for families and persons who do not makeup over 30% of the median income level in the area.  This means that only low income families will be eligible for this subsidy.  Single mothers who are looking for housing assistance will need to have no income.

Public Housing Assistance

Public housing assistanceHousing assistance for single mothers is not difficult to find if you are a low income earner.  You can also apply for the public housing program that is available.  This particular program is similar to the voucher program in its goal of offering low income residents and families rents they can afford to pay.  Across the country there are roughly 1.2 million households that are public housing units subsidized by the government.

The public housing program accepts applicants who are low income families and individuals.  This includes single mothers who are looking to find subsidized housing programs that are available.  In order for you to be eligible you need to make less than 80% of the median income to qualify for subsidized housing.

Private Assistance Programs

Another option that low income single mothers have is looking at private organizations that are available.  Finding housing assistance for single mothers doesn’t have to be difficult if you are able to do your research and look at all of the opportunities that are available.   There are a number of local charities and organizations that you can use to help get housing aid that can work for you.

Mercy HousingOne particular non-profit organization that provides low cost housing for families is Mercy Housing.  This particular organization provides enriched housing opportunities for families, seniors and people with disabilities.  Mercy Housing has a number of affordable rental housing locations across the country.  If you are interested in finding them you should visit mercyhousing.org to find out more information.

No matter what your current housing situation, there are always different options that are available.  You will find that housing assistance for single mothers can give you the opportunity to find low cost affordable housing in your neighborhood.  It is important for you to look up a number of public and private organizations that specialize in providing low income housing.  This can ensure that you are able to find quality housing that you and your family will be able to afford.

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Housing Assistance Programs for Single Mothers

Housing Assistance for single mothers, although not used very widely used by single mothers in the U.S., is also not that uncommon. According the a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009 only 12 percent of single mothers receive some sort of public housing or rent subsidy. Furthermore, only about 5 percent receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

However, given the current economic environment where nothing is certain, it would be wise to know about housing assistance for single mothers in case one were to ever find themselves in a bad economic situation. Fortunately, there are several programs and organizations that are willing to help single mothers.

The Average Single Mother in the U.S. Today

According to the report Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support, which was released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009, there are approximately 13.7 million single parents in the U.S that are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (of which 26 percent are under the age of 21). About 84 percent of these custodial parents are single mothers and 27 percent of them live in poverty. Furthermore, about 40 percent of single mothers are age 40 or over and 46 percent are raising more than one child on their own.

Single mothers far outnumber single fathers who only represent 16 percent of custodial parents. Furthermore, single mothers seem to struggle more than single fathers who have a higher percentage of being gainfully employed (90 percent) and are less likely to live in poverty (only about 13 percent).

Drastic Changes in American Family Life

According to CoAbode, an organization that strives to support and connect services to women who are raising children alone, the average American family model has changed drastically over the last generation.

in 1998 more than half  (about 53 percent) of women having children for the first time were single. In 1960 about half of American households were composed of married couples with children. Fast forward 40 years to the 2000 U.S. census and this number has dropped to only 23 percent. According to the organization, the U.S. Bureau also reported that there was a 25 percent increase in households that were headed by a single mother.

The Economics of Single Mothers

While about 78 percent of single mothers are gainfully employed, the median income for single mothers with children under six years old is roughly a quarter of that represented by two parent households. Furthermore, about forty-five percent of single mothers have more than one job and the annual cost of a child exceeds that of college tuition in 49 states.

Single mothers also experience the highest rate of unemployment and receive the lowest rate of pay regardless of their education. Single women with children also receive less pay than women without children. Moreover, in 2002 the rate of single mothers living below the poverty line jumped to 41 percent in comparison to 8 percent of married couples.

The aforementioned coupled with the $39 million owed in backed child support to 20 million children and single mothers creates an economic situation that is difficult for some women to overcome.

Despite the statistics, less than 17 percent of single mothers receive any sort of government assistance as basic as food stamps.

For this reason, housing assistance for single mothers may be a viable option to some women with children.

Housing Assistance for Single Mothers

There are several non-profit organizations and programs that strive to help single mothers by means of assisted housing. Below you will find a list of some of the more popular programs for assisted housing for single mothers.

Mercy Housing – For nearly 30 years Mercy Housing has been committed to building affordable houses for those in need including low-income families, seniors, and people with special needs. Mercy Housing works with public, private, and government developers to build affordable homes for people. Since it’s inception Mercy Housing has participated in the construction, development, preservation, and/or financing 39,400 homes. Additionally, Mercy Housing currently has about 7,000 homes that are in development. For more information and a list of locations click on the Find Housing link on their website.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers a variety of programs for affordable housing for people – including single mothers. They also have programs for disaster recovery assistance and are heavily involved with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. For more information on programs and a listing of local offices visit the website.

Family Unification Program- This grant program for housing assistance can prove especially beneficial to single mothers. It’s objective is to help families where affordable housing has become a primary issue in the separation of the parents. Eligible families may use the Housing Choice Voucher to obtain decent, safe, and affordable housing in private rental markets.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul- The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been helping people in need for over a century. Since it’s establishment in the United States in 1845 the St. Vincent de Paul has spread throughout the country offering services for the needy – including housing assistance for single mothers.

Catholic Charities USA – Catholic Charities have been providing housing assistance to single mothers of all faiths and their children for several years. They also provide emergency assistance, health care, child care, adoption, financial assistance, counseling, and other critical services for single mothers.

Rent Assistance U.S. – Rent Assistance helps you look through a myriad of government and non-profit programs to find affordable housing and housing assistance programs. Rental Assistance boasts the largest housing assistance network as they have a listing of almost 3,000 programs that strive to help needy families who need housing assistance. Many of the programs listed in Rent Assistance actually specifically set out to help single mothers.

As you can see, there are several options for housing assistance for single mothers. All it takes is a little research and single people can find assistance for themselves and their children.

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