Single parents frequently find it hard to earn a livable wage while caring for children all alone at the same time. A plethora of benefits can make it easier to survive financially.
Programs offering financial assistance for single mothers in Minnesota run the gamut. Most resources do not have specific labels for moms who must raise children alone.
Instead, you must apply your situation to private and government programs for specific needs and low-income families.
Follow the two-part outline and find links to apply for each benefit. Stretch your budget dollars further.
Private Assistance In MN
Single mothers in Minnesota often need to turn to private organizations for financial help instead of the government because public agencies move slowly and exclude applicants making too much money.
Emergency Cash
Emergency cash for single mothers comes from private finance companies licensed in Minnesota. In this case, you borrow money and repay the lender in equal monthly installments with interest.
Take out a loan when you need funding right away and cannot afford to wait to hear back from a slow-moving state agency. Also, the people most qualified to borrow money are often ineligible for government benefits.
Debt Relief
Debt relief grants for single mothers also can come through private finance companies, although the process takes a long time – up to three years on average. However, people facing a financial crisis benefit most.
Credit card companies are most likely to accept a settlement offer of pennies on the dollar when they fear getting nothing after a successful bankruptcy filing. A debt relief company can help you build an escrow account by consolidating payments.
Car Repair
Single moms can sometimes find nonprofit charitable organizations in Minnesota that perform auto repairs. Your car must be in working order to commute to work, drive the kids to school, and keep the refrigerator stocked with food.
- The Lift Garage is a 501c3 nonprofit that moves people out of poverty and homelessness by providing low-cost car repair to eligible drivers in the Minneapolis area.
- Cars for Neighbors provides vehicle repair assistance to low-income families in Anoka County.
- The Car Clinic is a nonprofit ministry in Elk River that provides minor vehicle repair and maintenance to parents without partners.
- Interfaith Outreach provides financial help for emergency car repairs and payments to help people find and keep jobs.
Government Assistance In MN
Minnesota single mothers typically find that the government offers the most generous benefits because public agencies can redistribute tax dollars from others.
However, you must meet low-income guidelines to qualify and know where to look.
Multi-Step Grants
Single mothers willing to diligently complete multiple applications can tap into numerous grant programs administered by the Minnesota government.
Please consider that government agencies award grants to universities, non-profit organizations, and public departments rather than individuals. Still, you can tap into these resources by following the money.
Government benefits equate to free money. Federal grants flow to state agencies, which disperse the funding to low-income families with specific needs.
- Medical Bills
- Dental Expenses
- Utility (gas, electric, and water)
- Home Repair
- HVAC Equipment
- Appliance Replacement
- Phone & Internet
- Rental Housing
One-Step Benefits
Single mothers in Minnesota have the luxury of applying for four critical government-run benefits for low-income families through a single online portal. The combined application process makes it easy to get needed help.
Apply for these five programs online at MNBenefits.MN.gov.
Cash Programs
Single mothers love the Minnesota cash programs because the government deposits money into a debit card that they can use to buy groceries, gas, and other essentials.
- Diversionary Work Program (DWP): helps parents find jobs to be self-sufficient
- MN Family Investment Program (MFIP): the state’s welfare reform program for low-income families with children
- MN Supplemental Aid (MSA): increases the monthly benefit for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients
- Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA): helps aliens for up to 12 months after arrival in the USA
Emergency Assistance
Single moms can turn to the Minnesota emergency assistance program during a crisis to help them avoid eviction from a rental apartment, foreclosure on a delinquent mortgage, or disconnection of utilities (gas, electricity, or water).
Apply for emergency assistance online or in person at your local social services office in your county or tribal area. Find other resources for urgent needs on the same page.
Childcare Assistance
Single mothers frequently find the Minnesota Childcare Assistance Program critical support. The government resource help while working, looking for a job, going to school, or participating in other approved employment efforts.
Apply for childcare assistance online or contact your local county human services office or contracted agency.
Food Assistance
Single moms often qualify for the Minnesota Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families stretch their household food budget.
Apply for SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) online or via a paper application you mail or bring to your local county office.
Transportation Grants
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) sponsors the “Getting to Work” grant that helps six organizations operate programs to provide, repair, or maintain motor vehicles that assist eligible people in obtaining or maintaining employment.
Many single mothers could qualify.
Roughly 36% of the grant money flows to organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, while the remaining 64% supports car repairs in other regions.
- Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County
- ResourceWest
- Community Action Duluth
- Minnesota Valley Action Council
- Tri-County Action Program, Inc
- United Community Action Partnership, Inc
