Grants for Single Mothers in Arizona
As in the rest of the states, Arizona has several well-established welfare programs to help single mothers in their role of raising, educating and maintaining the home she has formed with her children and perhaps some other member of the family like some older adult. These programs go beyond food assistance, and include legal assistance, support for household housing expenses and service bills, among others.
Below, we will the detail some of the programs Arizona has to offer for its single moms.
Mary’s Food Bank Alliance
As many as one in four children in Arizona live in poverty and are at risk of going to bed hungry at night. Arizona ranks 47th out of 50 states in the number of children who may not know where their next meal is coming from. St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the first food bank, founded in 1967 by John van Hagel, was created with the main objective of serving food to the needy. Individuals and companies with extra food and money could “deposit” it, and those in need could “withdraw” the food.
St. Mary’s has three locations in the Valley and one in Flagstaff. The Alliance offers a variety of aid including emergency food boxes, quality goods sold at low prices, and distribution of surplus food. They have a special phone number for single moms, where you can call and talk about your needs. You just need to call to this number: 602-352-3640, and they will help you.
St. Mary’s food Bank distributes in 9 counties in Arizona. St. Mary’s Food Bank helps with 2 different programs
- Kids Cafe: This meal-service program provides Arizona children with what is often their last meal of the day. Through this program, St. Mary’s Bank Food collaborates with Schools, community centers, health clinics and other groups to provide free, healthy meals daily in after-school programs as well as during the summer.
- Backpack program: This program identifies chronically hungry children and provides them with a weekly backpack with non-perishable food enough for 3 meals a day for their families.
Eviction or Mortgage Foreclosure Assistance
There is a special program created for single moms in Arizona that help them when for whatever reason they find themselves at risk of eviction or foreclosure. The Arizona Department of Housing is implementing a pilot program focusing on eviction prevention. Households eligible to receive assistance must have received formal, five-day nonpayment of rent notice from the property manager/landlord and have a total household income at/or below sixty percent (60%) of Area Median Income (AMI). For further information, please call the Landlord/Tenant message line at 602-262-7210 and a counselor will return your call as soon as possible.
The Society of St. Vincent Paul
This society was created to help the population from Arizona in several ways. Their programs go from food to health services. They are in several cities among the state and their mission is to help families to better their life conditions. The Society of St. Vincent Paul has 15 programs spread throughout central and Northern Arizona and among them we can find:
- Dining-rooms where the society can serve over 1.2 million meals a year to hungry families and individuals. There are 5 dining-rooms from this society along Arizona.
- Ministry to the homeless: In these places, homeless guests are welcomed with showers, clothing, shoes, counseling and referral services. These ministries aim to help the homeless to reintegrate into the job market and get out of their homelessness.
- Homeless prevention: St. Vincent of Paul prevents homeless by providing direct assistance to the neighbors to avoid utility shut-off first, and specially eviction. The average income for those served by this society is $12,000. With over 80 locations in Arizona, St. Vincent of Paul has a number to connect with the volunteers, if you need assistance you just need to dial 2-1-1
- Virginia G. Piper Medical Clinic: In a state with an estimate of 232,000 children who do not have access to medical care, the Virginia G. Piper Medical Clinic was created with a focus on preventive care. The clinic treats adults and children while teaching them about proper nutrition, exercise and other habits to maintain healthy lifestyles. Its mission is to increase the health and well-being of the community by empowering those who have the greatest need, yet the least resources to do so.
Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF)
Like in other states, single mothers in Arizona can apply to the Temporary Cash Assistance Program using the Arizona Department of Economic Security website https://des.az.gov/services/basic-needs/food-assistance/applying-nutrition-assistance/contact-des-regarding-nutrition. For general questions you can use the chat or email available in the Health-e-Arizona Plus website https://www.healthearizonaplus.gov/Default/Default.aspx where you can also submit your application. If you prefer to communicate on the phone, you can call to the following numbers: 1-855-432- 7587 or 1-855-HEAPlus, or if you prefer to go personally, you can visit your nearest office by finding it with the DES Office Locator online at https://des.az.gov/find-your-local-office.