How to Find Single Parent Benefits

It's tough enough to take on the roles of both Mom and Dad for a child, add the financial struggles that go along with a single income household, and it can be impossible. There is hope, however, as the government has begun a bevy of progams to offer single parent benefits.

The first place to look for government assistance is the government benefits website, at benefits.gov. This site is a hub of all assistance possible to those struggling with a low-income. The types of benefits that are offered here include: Career Development Assistance, Child Care/Child Support, Counsel/Counseling, Disability Assistance, Disaster Relief, Education/Training, Energy Assistance, Food/Nutrition, Grants/Scholarships/Fellowships, Healthcare, Housing, Insurance, Loving Assistance, Loan/Loan Repayment, Medicaid/Medicare, Social Security, Tax Assistance, and Veterans - Active Duty.

Before you start, you should be prepared. This site will ask questions concerning, your children and their health, your past job experience, your ex-spouses job experience as well as his or her medical situation, and any past or present military service. You'll need the dates and specifics to fill the form out properly. It will also ask about income, both yearly and monthly. Be sure to have W-2s or pay stubs, whichever will best help you to answer the questions.

Once you've gone to the site, click the link on the home page that reads, "Start Now." This will guide you on a lengthy questionnaire that could take as long as an hour depending upon how quickly you can get through the questions and find the information needed.

As you complete the questions, a tally of the benefits that could apply to you will accumulate in a categorized list to the right. The number, in some cases, could be as high as 600. However, it is more likely to be between 100 and 200, or even below that.

Once you've completed the questionnaire, a complete list of every benefits that may apply will be listed out with a bried description of what it offers. Find one that you'd like to apply for and click on the link. This will take you to a more detailed description of the program, and at the bottom of each will be contact information to attempt to apply for the assistance. This can be an address to send away to, a phone number to call, or another website link to go to apply online. In some cases, there will be a simple phone call to apply and things should get rolling, but in others the process may be long and complex, as in applying for a business loan. You can apply for as many of these as you want. Don't shy away.

Some of the more important programs offered include: Child Care and Development Fund, Child Support Enforcement, Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit, Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, Family Planning Service, HUD Public Housing Program, Head Start and Early Head Start, Medicaid Program, Parental Information and Resource Centers, Children's Health Insurance Program, School Breakfast and Lunch Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Special Milk Program, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

There is help for single parents. Going to the benefits.gov is the perfect portal for help.