Resources matter to every mother. What mom doesn’t want to see her children clothed and fed? To see them sleeping, safe and warm, with a roof over their head?
And yet…there is a time when resources matter most.
Like when you’re new in town.
Or newly single.
Like when you’ve lost your job, and your apartment too.
When you’ve fled a dangerous situation – you had no choice. But now, you have nowhere to go.
Or when your test shows two little pink lines…and you’re young, scared and alone.
In crisis moments, you shouldn’t have to worry about how to afford diapers for your baby, or where your next meal will come from, or how to keep a roof over your head. Many nonprofits, charitable organizations, state programs and ministries exist for one purpose: that you, young mama, can have everything you need to raise a healthy baby.
Those resources are here to help “single-parent families [who] are among the poorest in the nation and as such, are extremely vulnerable to homelessness. Among all homeless families nationwide, over three quarters were headed by single women with children.”
They’re here to help if you are a mother to one of the “approximately 1.6 million children [who] will experience homelessness over the course of a year. In any given day, researchers estimate that more than 200,000 children [in the U.S.] have no place to live.” Nonprofits are here to help prevent homelessness for your family – and to help you if you should find yourself in that situation.
Many resources are here for you because “single parent women experience the highest rate of unemployment and receive the lowest rate of pay regardless of their education.”
They’re here because even when you are able to find work…“Nationally the annual cost of center-based infant care averaged over 40% of the state median income for a single mother.”
If you’re a single mom, or even if you’re in a two-parent family but you’re struggling to make ends meet, you may qualify for resources like daycare assistance or job placement assistance. You may qualify for WIC (Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children) or The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits).
But when you’re in a crisis moment, trying to access all these different resources – to find phone numbers, websites, addresses – can be overwhelming. That’s why Life Options Network (LON) has put everything in one place – for you. We want you to know that you’re not alone. We want to make it a little bit easier, so you can spend less time searching for answers, and more time caring for your family.
To find out more, check out our Resources page. There, you’ll find our ever-growing list of help that’s available right here in Oregon and Washington – help with diapers, help with job placement, help with housing. We’ve shared all the live links so you can go directly to each site and find out if you qualify. Because here at LON, we believe we don’t have to choose – we love you AND your baby.
