It isn’t easy to be a parent. The financial struggles of being a parent can sometimes seem insurmountable. Fortunately, there are several different ways to secure finances for your family. Asking for help you need it is an important strength of successful parents. You can take advantage of the following types of assistance if you are a parent.
Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
This program is known as WIC. It is designed to ensure that women who have small children are able to provide healthy meals to them. You are eligible for this program until your child turns five-years-old. This program provides you with a voucher that you will be able to use at a grocery store in your area.
Job Training and Child Care
In many cases, job training can help you earn more money. The cost of child care or the demands that it could place on your child sometimes prevents parents from going back to school, even when this could have a really positive effect on your finances. The good news is that there is help available for people who need job training and child care. There are government education subsidies that you can use to cover your job training or education.
Your child may also qualify for Early Head Start or Head Start. Your child may qualify for these programs if your income is below the poverty line. As with any kind of childcare, you want to make sure that your child will be well taken care of and that their schedule will match yours.
Low Income Home Emergency Assistance Program
This program is known as LIHEAP. It is designed to help people cover their energy and utility bills. It can also provide you with financial assistance to help you with weatherproof your home and make it more energy-efficient. Additionally, if you need to make energy-related repairs, then LIHEAP may cover that. It would be good to consider this type of assistance especially in the winter where heating bills can be an even bigger burden on your family than usual.
Temporary Aid for Families in Need
This is also known as TANF. It will provide you with cash assistance for up two years if you are a working parent. Keep in mind that both married and unmarried parents can qualify for this program. If you have a child under the age of six, then you have to work or complete a job training for at least 20 hours out of the week. You have to work at least 30 hours per week if your child is over the age of six. Make sure to check these type of hourly restrictions in order to know that you will be covered by this program and you are not breaking any of the program’s rules or regulations.
Being a parent is expensive, but you don’t have to deal with these financial costs on your own. You can apply for the SNAP program if you need help paying for food. You can also get financial help with job training and child care. Additionally, you can apply for the LIHEAP program and TANF program if you need financial assistance.
