Federal Grants for Single Women
- Federal grants provide assistance to single women.power woman image by JulianMay.co.uk from Fotolia.com
A range of federal grants are available to single women to assist them with their basic needs. Some grants focus on specific areas such as housing, education or food, whereas others offer general financial assistance to cover a range of costs. To find out if you are eligible for such payments, contact the public health, family or human services department of your state. - Single women who are bringing up children can apply to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) scheme for additional support. TANF payments offer short-term help to families incapable of meeting daily needs such as grocery purchases, rent bills, children's clothing and travel costs. TANF payments are federally funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and are given to individual states to disperse to citizens most in need. TANF payments can assist single mothers during times of hardship, but are not intended as a long-term solution. The maximum duration for TANF payments is usually three years.
- Single women with children are also eligible for assistance through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides SNAP funds to help families acquire basic foods to meet nutritional needs. Single women who are eligible for the SNAP scheme typically receive credit cards they can exchange for food purchases at designated grocery stores.
Single mothers can also seek financial assistance through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) scheme. WIC payments are federally funded and help single mothers meet their nutritional needs through education and focused food purchases. WIC pays for foods sufficiently rich in nutrition to support the development of infants, children and pregnant women. Single mothers who have or are at risk of poor health due to an unhealthy diet are prioritized under the WIC scheme. - Federal funds are channeled through states across the U.S. to help poorer people find adequate housing. These grants are available to single women and are issued through housing authorities in each state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) runs a voucher scheme to help families and individuals find and sustain affordable accommodation. Depending on circumstances, applicants may be expected to part-fund rental costs and use the grant to make up any shortfall. State housing authorities also offer a wealth of information on housing projects and schemes, designed to meet the specific needs of single women.
