Home page of sl or soulight , (my page for single moms)

FOR SINGLE MOMS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

  TRANSPORTATION   HOUSING   FOOD   MEDICINE   LEGAL HELP   SHELTERS   CHRISTMAS   SAVING MONEY 

To nourish children and raise them against odds is in any time, any place,  more valuable than to fix bolts in cars or design nuclear
weapons. ~ Marilyn French 

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TEEN MOMS , YOU ARE WELCOME HERE AND ALSO ON THIS PAGE :

***TEEN MOMS PAGE***

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THIS PAGE IS GETTING TOO LARGE , SO I HAVE A SECOND PAGE HERE :

PAGE 2 LINKS AND REVIEWS FOR SINGLE MOMS

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IF YOU ARE HOMELESS , HERE IS A PAGE THAT

WILL ASSIST YOU IN ADDITION TO MY SINGLE

 MOM PAGES :

THE WORKING HOMELESS NETWORKING PAGE

* If there is anybody who would like me to pray for them , please put your

  request on my site.  I am not a saint , and I am not perfect , and I don't have

  any money , but at least I can offer some prayers. they are free *

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HERE IS A GREAT TRANSLATION PAGE BY GOOGLE. THE TRANSLATIONS ON MY CURRENT PAGES ARE NOT AS CLEAR AS THEY COULD BE , SO I SUGGEST IF YOU WANT TO TRANSLATE THEM , YOU TRY THIS PAGE.

SOULIGHT

AQUÍ ESTÁ UNA GRAN PÁGINA DE LA TRADUCCIÓN POR GOOGLE. LAS TRADUCCIONES EN MIS PÁGINAS ACTUALES NO ESTÁN TAN CLARAMENTE COMO PODRÍAN SER, ASÍ QUE SUGIERO SI DESEAS TRADUCIRLAS, TÚ INTENTO ESTA PÁGINA. SOULIGHT

*****GOOGLE LANGUAGE TOOLS*****

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Scroll down for tons of information ,

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BEFORE ANYTHING IF YOU OR YOUR KIDS ARE BEING ABUSED

GO HERE :       WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE IN A CRISIS

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Single moms , something we need to remember , as singles , is we need to look our for our own safety as well as our kids. Here is an article with tips on how to be safe.:

SAFETY TIPS FOR SINGLES

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I have moved my own story here to dedicate this page totally to helping single moms

MY STORY SO FAR

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Here is a  page that alot of us single moms can use daily !

***HOW TO LIVE ON VERY LITTLE MONEY***

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****Make sure you click on further links/resources farther down the page. I think I may have found some links that aren't listed on other pages.

***It is my prayer and hope that single moms in dire need of help can start networking ideas for each other. Please , if you have any links or tips about how to "do" this single mother life , add them to this site under comments and links.

SOME IDEAS FOR SINGLE MOMS

 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Assistance which may be available: Cash assistance (AFDC or welfare), food stamps, WIC for moms with younger children(see below), medical assistance (Medicaid), medical programs for pregnant women and children, child support enforcement, child daycare subsidies/assistance , sometimes referrals if you get a good caseworker. If you don't get a good one or you get one who is grouchy. Just be persistent. Remember they are offering you a service. They are working for you not the other way around.

To qualify: Be income eligible and meet other guidelines such as available assets, cost of your housing, etc.

To find: Look in your phone book in the government pages. DSS is usually a state agency, which could be listed under Health and Human Services.

PERSISTENCE PAYS. 

      ***STATE HUMAN SERVICE AGENCY LINKS***

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)

What it is: A federal program which provides healthy foods and nutrition information to pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, and infants and children under age 5. Most people who are income eligible can qualify with some sort of nutrition need.

Assistance which may be available: Supplemental food such as milk, cheese, cereal, peanut butter,juice, and infant formula; breastfeeding information and support, nutritional information and counseling.

To qualify: Be income eligible and have a nutritional need, and be either pregnant or up to 6 months postpartum for non-breastfeeding moms, up to 12 months postpartum for breastfeeding moms,also for infants and children under age

To find: Look in your phone book in the government pages. WIC may be listed under federal, state or local government.

How to apply: Call first and make an appointment. Your eligibility will be checked. For a child, height, weight, and iron count may be taken. To help determine nutritional need, you may fill out forms about you and your child's eating habits.

****HOW TO APPLY FOR WIC****

 SCHOOL LUNCH (and BREAKFAST) PROGRAMS

A federally-funded nutrition program, school lunch programs provide free or reduced cost lunches for eligible students. To be eligible for free lunches, the student's family income must be at or below 130% of poverty level. To be eligible for reduced price lunches (40 cents per meal), thestudent's family income must be between 130%-185% of poverty level. Depending onthe federal budget, breakfast programs may be available as well. Check with your school for more information on these programs. Try to be sympathetic if your childdoes'nt want this. They may be picked on. But also teach them to be strong and to stick up for themselves instead of starving for the rest of the day

 For Child and Adult Care Food Program • Commodity Supplemental Food Program • Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program • Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children • Summer Food Service Program • The Emergency Food Assistance Program , click here :

****FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

 INFORMATION****

MORE FOOD PROGRAMS

Includes food co-ops, where you donate volunteer time for discounted food package (there's one called  SHARE; call 1-800-4-SHARE-5-I AM NOT SURE IF THIS NUMBER WORKS ANYMORE. I COULDN'T GET IT TO. but you could try looking in the yellow pages under community services), churches which may provide free meals and/or distribute food, food pantries and kitchens. 

 HERE IS ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT GIVE 50 DOLLARS  OF HEALTHY FOODS FOR 25 DOLLARS. YOU CAN USE YOUR EBT CARD  (FOODSTAMPS) TO PAY FOR THE FOOD  PLUS THERE ARE NO WORK/VOLUNTEER HOUR;SOMETHING MANY SINGLE MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME FOR.

****ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES****

FUEL FUND/HEATING ASSISTANCE

Available from many gas/electric utilities, this may include grants of money to help pay for your utilities and weatherproofing assistance to help lower your gas/electric bills. Contact your local utilities for information. 

*****HOW TO APPLY FOR HEAT/FUEL HELP *****   

***LINKS TO ENERGY ASSISTANCE SITES***

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ASSISTANCE

Many drug manufacturers have programs for needy customers; contact the manufacturer or your doctor for more information. Also, investigate mail order pharmacies for savings on prescriptions that you use on a long-term basis. (check the links by WHO KNEW on this site) Plus , here is a link you can try right away.  

***** RX ASSIST*****

Another medication help program

*****NEEDY MEDS*****

Here is the Partnership for Prescription Assitance Program :

******PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE*****

LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

A County Health Nurse to be the best source of information on assistance.(and they are usually very nice. Report them if they aren't  Your county mayoffer free immunizations for children, free prenatal vitamins, free flu shots, prenatal care, dental care for children (sliding scale), counseling, moms support groups. They may also provide information on other services such as medical assistance/health insurance, breastfeeding, support group meetings, child care, school financial aid, etc.

***STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT LINKS***

 YWCA

May offer the same assistance/information as the local health department. Some have support groups for single moms. Some have bulletin boards with listings like moms who want to share rent on an apartment/house.

*****YMCA . NET*****

 LOCAL LIBRARY

Look at all the brochures and bulletin boards available. FREE entertainment and information . You may also find access to the internet and computer listings of local resources. Also ask the librarians where you can find help for where to find the resources in the library. She may be a single mom too! Plus they have free kids programs and reading contests.

***PUBLIC LIBRARIES . COM***

 UNITED WAY

Call them to find out what resources they can offer you. They also tell about other resources if they cant help. United Way is a kind of clearing house that leads to other organizations.

   ***   Find United Way in your town.***

Support group for unmarried parents. A lot of the bigger churches have them too.

*****PARENTS WITHOUT PARTNERS CHAPTER FIND*****

LALECHE LEAGUE   

  Breastfeeding support group. Here is part of their purpose :

La Leche League was founded to give information and encouragement, mainly through personal help, to all mothers who want to breastfeed their babies. While complementing the care of the physician and other health care professionals, it recognizes the unique importance of one mother helping another to perceive the needs of her child and to learn the best means of fulfilling those needs.

They fulfill the nursing mothers needs through education , working with doctors and nurses , publications and personal help through mentoring and meeting with each other.

  ***  Lalecheleague.org ***
  

 LOCAL CHURCHES

Here is a link about how to find a church (Christian) as a place of Worship. It might lead to links of churches who provide help to single moms .

*****HOW TO FIND A PLACE OF WORSHIP*****

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CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

This is a handbook that will help. It is for working through the government AND/OR your private attorney.

***CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT HANDBOOK***

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HOUSING

This is a great site with extensive search tools for housing help :

"HomeSight is an annotated and rated resource guide of housing agencies, projects, policies, designs, and publications available on the Internet. HomeSight is neither a real estate manual nor a directory of available housing units."

***HOME SITE DOT ORG***

I no longer recommend the site above for assistance in housing. It is mainly just a site for detailing housing organizations around the world. In addition , it is very hard to navigate. You can try it if you like , but I am searching for more usable sites to add to my pages. soulight  01/28/08 

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LEGAL AID

Free legal help for income-eligible people.-scroll down  to where it says legal aid programs for a link to your state on this page:

*****Legal aid links*****

More links to pro bono (free) law help. State by state links:

*****LAW HELP DOT ORG*****

Here is the link to a center that helps defend low income rights. Specifically for low income children and their families. They do not provide lawyers , but will refer you . They act as a research and publication organization for your lawyer , and for you and your family , to access publications , cases, and research links to make your case stronger.

About NCYL

Mission
The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) uses the law to improve the lives of poor children. NCYL works to ensure that low-income children have the resources, support, and opportunities they need for a healthy and productive future. Much of NCYL's work is focused on poor children who are additionally challenged by abuse and neglect, disability, or other disadvantage.

SERVICES THEY DO , AND DON'T PROVIDE :

 We do :

act as a resource for private attorneys, legal services programs, social services organizations, community groups, health care professionals, teachers, and others representing poor children or adolescents on a pro bono basis;
provide information, referrals, technical assistance, or written materials;
serve as co-counsel in cases affecting a large number of children and families. 
 

NCYL does not:

provide legal representation to individuals (or represent individuals in court);
give legal advice on individual cases;
provide legal information for research projects or academic assignments, although it may be useful to use the site's Search tool (above left) or peruse our Publications for an article on a particular subject, or to visit our Links & Referrals for other organizations.

*****NATIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH LAW*****

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TAX CREDITS

***INFORMATION ABOUT TAX CREDITS (SCROLL DOWN)***

The information  is at the bottom of the above  linked page.

 CONSUMER CREDIT COUNSELING SERVICE      

May be able to help with credit problems,set up payment plans with creditors, provide legal services, help with budgeting

.

        ***CCCS online site for credit counseling ***

 YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATORS

*****GOVERNMENT LINKS *****

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HELP WITH DENTAL NEEDS

 DENTAL HELP PAGE.Medicaid dentist seem to only pull teeth. That is not what most of us are looking for . Here is a link that may help :

***DENTAL ASSISTANCE***

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For more help and ideas keep scrolling down.

ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF .

BE A VERY SQUEEKY WHEEL AND DON'T GIVE UP.

BUT BE NICE ABOUT IT.

 PEOPLE WILL TURN YOU RIGHT OFF IF YOU START OUT

WITH AN ATTITUDE.

A TIP FOR SEARCHING FOR HELP , GO LOCAL.  

       WHEN YOU ARE SEARCHING IN THE PHONE BOOK , OR ON THE NET, OR IN THE LIBRARY ,  LOOK FOR : 

 COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR_____________(TYPE IN YOUR CITY OR TOWN)  OR TYPE IN NONPROFIT AGENCIES FOR _____________  OR 

  TRY  LOCAL COMMUNITY RESOURCES IN _________________ FOR _____________________(YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS) 

 OR IF YOU HAVE ANY DISABILITIES , LIKE I DO, TRY HELP FOR PEOPLE , OR ASSOCIATIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH________________ (TYPE DISABILITY) , (FOR ME IT MIGHT BE DIABETES) IN________________________(TYPE TOWN)

ANY OF THESE IDEAS WOULD HELP IF YOU ASK THE LOCAL LIBRARIAN TO HELP YOU FIND INFORMATION TOO. THE PHONE BOOK MAY HELP IN THE YELLOW PAGES , BUT TALKING IN PERSON TO SOMEONE IS USUALLY BETTER IF YOU CAN.

I USED TO VOLUNTEER AS A RECEPTIONIST IN MY CHURCH , AND WE HAD PEOPLE COME IN DURING THE WEEK TO ASK FOR HELP. USUALLY A MINISTER WAS AVAILABLE ALMOST RIGHT AWAY.YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BELONG TO OUR CHURCH. ALWAYS GO TO THE CHURCH SECRETARY OR RECEPTIONIST FIRST

 BE COURTEOUS AND POLITE.

 PEOPLE WHO ARE THIS WAY GET KINDER RECEPTIONS NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO.

 MANNERS DO COUNT! HOW OTHERS ACT  TOWARDS YOU IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN CONTROL, BUT YOU CAN CONTROL HOW YOU ACT TOWARDS OTHERS BE THE BETTER PERSON ALWAYS.

I have come up with the most answers to my needs by doing this. Local churches , community centers (not government run) and even individuals may list themselves under the above definitions.

MORE LINKS TO FOLLOW DIRECTLY BELOW

DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINE WEB PAGE

DOMESTIC ABUSE WEB PAGE

FOR  CLOTH DIAPERS

MIRACLEDIAPERS . ORG

ALL SORTS OF HELP FOR MOMS AND KIDS

CATHOLIC CHARITIES

CAR OWNERSHIP ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS BY STATE :

CAR OWNERSHIP HELP

HERE IS A FOOD BANK LOCATOR :

FOOD BANKS BY ZIP CODE OR STATE

FREE THINGS

FREECYCLE IS A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE. I have seen free diapers , free clothes , free formula , baby furniture , strollers ; all kinds of things people are giving away for free! Check it out !also free to join !

FREECYCLE

CHURCHES

Some moms have (very disappointingly) been turned away from churches when they go there for help. Here is one organization that is trying to change that.

The church doorstep is a frequent destination for people in need. But most churches alone cannot fully meet all the needs of every homeless family, single mom, or elderly shut-in who asks them for help.
Or can they?
Love In the Name of Christ enables churches in a community to pool their resources and services so that those in need are not turned away.

Families in need receive immediate and long-term help.
Church members use their gifts and talents through specific, manageable opportunities to serve others.
Local churches come together, across denominational lines, modeling unity of the Body of Christ.
Lives and communities are transformed.

The map is clickable , but get your magnifying glass out ! ;)

LOVEInc. Check locations in left side bar

HOUSING

This one is about how to contact the housing authority in your state.
I believe this means public housing/SECTION 8 housing for families ,and also for seniors and the disabled.

HOUSING AUTHORITY STATE LINKS

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE LAID OFF

Here is an article about what to do when you are laid off. It also would help anyone who is newly in need to sort out what to do next.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE LAID OFF

MORE HOUSING IDEAS

Here is a page where you can get hooked up with another mom and share housing with her. That way you can have your kids in a better neighborhood ,and better schools . The idea is to share expenses so that things are easier for both moms/families.

CO-ABODE

HOW TO SURVIVE TOUGH TIMES

This link has some good ideas for surviving when you are in a bind.

EMERGENCIES AND SURVIVING TOUGH TIMES

MEDICAL HELP WITH NO MONEY AND NO INSURANCE

Need to see a Doctor?

This Web site will help you find a clinic that will give you medical care, even if you have no medical insurance or money.

This Web site provides the address and contact information for clinics that offer Primary Medical, Obstetrical and Gynecological, Dental, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care, Other Types of Medical and Support Services.

MEDICAL HELP WITHOUT INSURANCE OR MONEY

TRANSPORTATION

Wheels to Work

Some Goodwill Stores sponser the Wheels to Work program.           How the program works :
Wheels to Work is a program where qualified vehicles are donated to Goodwill. Then, needed repairs are made so the vehicle is safe and road-worthy.

The vehicle is then sold-at a below market value price-to qualified buyers (individuals for whom transportation to-and-from work and financial status combine to create a serious barrier to employment)

Click here to find the Goodwill in your area so that you can find out if your local store has the Wheels to Work program.

GOODWILL STORE SEARCH PAGE

MORE TRANSPORTION IDEAS

Here is another possible place to get a car.called

Charity Cars

Charity Cars provides refurbished car donation vehicles to a wide variety of individuals and families that are referred by varied social service agencies and employers around the country. Referrals can only be made by social service agencies or companies that are Charity Cars Affiliates.
 Prospective recipients should not contact Charity Cars directly.

 Please check with your caseworker or employer to see if your organization is a Charity Cars Affiliate member. Your pastor my be able to refer you too.

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