Grants for Widowed Mothers are important for several reasons. Losing a husband can greatly affect those who are left behind. The now-widowed mother has to find a way to raise the children alone while having to get a job to support the family, financially. There are lots of bills to pay every month, and they also have to cover basic needs and education costs for their children. This condition often leads to depression, stress, and anxiety.
List of Grants for Widowed Mothers
Below are some of the widowed mother’s grants available in the United States. Note that not all of them are available in the form of free money.
Social Security Survivors Insurance
If your late husband worked long enough to pay for the Social Security taxes; then the dependants including the spouse and children may be qualified for the Social Security Survivors Insurance benefit from the Social Security Administration (SSA). A widowed mother is typically eligible for the benefit, but the amount of money received depends on the lifetime savings of the deceased. In addition, one-time grant money for the funeral may also be given to the spouse. When we wrote this article the amount was $225.
Survivors’ VA Benefit
Dependants of those who are deceased during their active time in the military or caused by injury or disease that is related to their service in the Armed Forces; are eligible for the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The monthly money from this benefit is currently around $1,154 for the widowed mom. The amount of dependent children whose age is below 18 increases the grant money. Typically, each of the dependent children will add nearly $300 to the incentive.
Other public service professions also have a similar program. For example, those whose spouse was police officer or firefighter are eligible for some form of benefit offered by their respective department.
Childcare Assistance
Being a widow means that you must work to fulfill ends meet. If a widowed mom has relatively young children, then she will likely need a childcare service to watch over her children at home while she works. The government has several programs that can assist this matter. There’s the Head Start Child Care Center that can provide nutritious meals for toddlers and childcare service for eligible families from the Administration for Children and Families office. The childcare service is free of charge for families with low income.
Housing Assistance
Another big expense for a family would be housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development can help widowed mom to afford to house or pay the monthly rent. Again, this program is aimed at very low-income families to avoid homelessness. You may be put on a waiting list because there are many people applying for the same program. That said, it would be better to apply now instead of later.
Getting grants for widowed mothers is possible if they have a very low income. Other possible help may come from the local organization. Please contact the Department of Social Services or the United Way 211 for available help near you.
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- Financial Assistance for Cremation
- Where to Find Burial Financial Assistance
- The American Red Cross Funeral Help
References:
- Social Security Survivors Benefits
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