Parents can find financial help through a number of avenues. Temporary financial support is available through the government for parents who fall below certain poverty levels. Food stamps and housing agencies can provide staples while parents work to provide a stable home for their kids. Financial help for parents sending kids to college is widely available.
Function
Welfare in the form of temporary payments is available for parents while they search for work or get through a short-term financial crisis. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also called TANF, is a federal grant that replaced the former aid to dependent children programs. Block grants are sent to states, which in turn qualify recipients and make payments.
Purpose
The purpose of TANF is to make sure children can stay in their homes while parents take classes or build job skills. TANF funds may be paid to parents for daycare expenses, transportation and job training. Cash subsidies are provided to supplement a parent's income when necessary. While most of the funding is reserved for families with children, each state can determine its own rules and eligibility requirements to receive the financial help.
Benefits
The program that provides food stamps for needy parents is operated through the Social Security Administration. Recipients must meet certain minimum guidelines and earning limitations and have no more than $2,000 in resources or $3,000 if a family member is over the age of 60 or disabled. The amount of financial aid a parent may receive to buy food depends on a number of variables, including the cost of daycare, how many children are in the household and how much of the family income is used to pay rent or a mortgage and utilities.
Types
Other types of financial help are available to low income parents in the form of housing vouchers. The money to help parents pay for housing is administered through local public housing agencies with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing. Those eligible for housing assistance may choose public housing units built specifically for those on assistance or private housing that meets the codes and standards required by the local agency.
Potential
Financial help is available to parents to help send their children to college from a variety of state and federal agencies, through colleges and nonprofit organizations. Grants and loans often are income-based with preference given to those students whose parents meet certain income guidelines. Tax credits also are available for parents with more resources. Grants, scholarships and loans typically can be applied for through the college. According to the National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators, school-based financial aid offices can help parents work through the maze of applications and potential resources.
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