No one will ever say that raising a child alone is an easy task especially when you are on the real world situation of doing it all by yourself without your partner helping you to do so. Parenthood is always associated with hardships and struggles; this feeling is a lot harder for single parents since all of the worries and anxieties of raising a child is all in their responsibility alone. Life could be very tough for single mothers, they don’t have the freedom of choosing whether to be a stay at home mom and they don’t have someone to share the problems that common families have encountered. Being a single mother in the state of Indiana is not new that’s why the state has entitled many financial aids for single mothers in Indiana that a single mother can rely on.

Financial

The state of Indiana offers TANF which stands for Temporary Financial Assistance for Needy Families. It works with families to develop into self sufficient ones. Indiana TANF benefits offer a maximum of 60 months of assistance within one’s lifetime. Like other states, Indiana TANF also has its eligibility requirements; the primary requirement is that the applicant must be a US citizen; children also should be a citizen or should have eligible alien status, must have a social security number, earning less than a certain amount per month, children must be 18 years old or younger; if 18 years, should be legible full-time high school student. Pregnant women are also eligible for TANF during the month before their due date. To meet the eligibility requirements of TANF, families must meet the requirements established by the state law; that is, families must include a child and should be residents of Indiana , countable assets must be 2,000 dollars or less.

Food

Mother knows best! This is usually mothers are good with, that’s why mothers are very particular in choosing food to be fed by their children, they always wanted to give the best healthy and nutritious foods. Indiana knows this is very hard for mothers who don’t have enough money to buy and supply all the nutritious food for their children so they have this food stamp program known as SNAP or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides eligible applicants with food stamps to be exchanged by certain groceries. This program helps provide food assistance to people who have low income or no income at all that live in the US . In Indiana , the department that is responsible for handling this is the FSSA or Family and Social Services Administration. Indiana has their WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program which is effective for improving the access of acquiring healthy foods o improve healthier eating lifestyles. Another is with the help of food banks even when the money is stiff. For inquiry regarding the WIC Program, call 1-800-522-0874, or email [email protected].

also reach WIC program Indiana by mail:

Indiana WIC Program
Indiana State Department of Health
2 North Meridian Street, Section 8B
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Childcare

As a single mother, it is a tough problem on how or where to find a reliable person or affordable day care center to look for your child while you are out working. This is very hard since as a single mother, you have to and you must have a job in preparation for the future. In Indiana , the CCDF or Child Care Development Fund grants financial support for families who are working or enrolled in schools. Aspirants must then find a child care provider who meets the CCDF standards to qualify. You may call 1-800-299-1627 for child care resource and referral agency that serves your area.

Healthcare

Healthcare is always a worry for single mothers who are out of cash, kids often needs check ups to maintain their good health. Indiana Medicaid provide members through multiple delivery systems and to be reimbursed for the said services, providers must enroll with the Indiana Health Coverage Program (IHCP) to access Indiana Health Coverage programs, the link will show you quick references how to apply for this help http://provider.indianamedicaid.com/media/27802/quick_reference.pdf. Nevertheless, not everyone qualifies for Medicaid; but it is overwhelming to know that there are still other options like CHIP or Children’s Health Insurance Program that provided assistance for uninsured children; it is also a part of Hoosier Healthwise, Indiana ’s health program. If you are interested in signing up click this link .  Children of Indiana has its CHIP, therefore, there is also a program for adult which is HIP or Healthy Indiana Plan which offers affordable health insurance program for adults. For questions and inquiries, please contact 1-877-GET-HIP9 (1-877-438-4479).

Housing

The very basic requirement of any family is the housing; to have good and decent home. Single moms find a hard time paying for the rent, they have to work double time to manage all the expenses. With IHCDA or Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, it aims to help and support broad ranges of housing solutions from temporary to home ownership. Click this link to get access on IHCDA. Even you have home; heating is also a necessity in Indiana winter to find out how to qualify for the Indiana Low Income Home energy Assistance Program

 Education.

Education is bound to enter the list of your priorities sooner whether you like it or not. Your child needs proper education and so were you. You also need to send yourself to school to achieve higher profession to level up your qualifications in finding a good job. FAFSA for one can help you a lot, click the link to get access on Indiana FAFSA http://www.fafsaonline.com/, the next one will help you on getting the codes you need in Indiana , but don’t just stop there, you may also ask schools or colleges what other grants or scholarships they may also have.

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