| The effects of single parenting have been brought | | | | each month than it had been. There was no tiered |
| front and center, as a result of societal changes in our | | | | system. There was no six month adjustment period. It |
| country over the past twenty years. This shift | | | | ended and she was responsible for all her bills. |
| changed how single parents lived. Prices started to | | | | It's what she wanted. However, she was never told |
| increase and technology started to develop at an | | | | how the change would affect her bills. In the |
| incredible rate. The cost of living became impossible | | | | excitement and desire to be completely on her own, |
| for one parent trying to live on their own and we now | | | | she didn't think to ask and no one offered to tell her, |
| are in a pickle with hundreds of thousands of single | | | | how it would all play out and what the final outcome |
| parent families having to live a difficult life of relying on | | | | would look like. She hadn't considered that it would put |
| a full time job plus state assistance. | | | | her over the threshold for qualifying for her subsidized |
| Years ago, I worked with a single mother of two little | | | | housing. As a result, she ended up going quitting her |
| boys. She had a decent job, but still needed to rely on | | | | second job and going back. She had ended up making |
| state assistance to survive. She had come to me | | | | less with two jobs and no assistance than she had |
| several times and shared that she didn't want to be on | | | | made with one job, with assistance. As a country, we |
| state assistance and wanted to find a way out of it. A | | | | need to look at our systems as they relate to |
| couple weeks later, she shard with me that she had | | | | subsidies. We need reward folks for wanting to be off |
| been offered another job. (Her second job. She would | | | | state and federal assistance programs with a tiered |
| now be working two jobs to support her family) She | | | | and layered way of weaning families off slowly. |
| was well aware that she would be working a lot, but I | | | | People need time to digest exactly what changes will |
| had never seen her so excited. She was ecstatic to | | | | occur. |
| no longer have to rely on anyone else to provide for | | | | This is just one of the many effects of single parenting |
| her family. | | | | that many parents deal with. Use this parent's story as |
| A month went by and then one day I happened to | | | | a cautionary tale. Educate yourself. Speak with your |
| catch her at pick up and asked her how she was | | | | case worker and be sure you have all the information |
| doing. I'll never forget her face and response. She had | | | | you need before making any changes to your financial |
| a look of disgust and annoyance, with a little sadness | | | | situation. Advocate for yourself and family and you'll |
| mixed in. She shared that when she received her | | | | save yourself the pain of lessons learned the hard |
| second job, she lost all her state assistance, which | | | | way. |
| meant her rent jumped up to being $400.00 more | | | | |