Government Grants for Expecting Mothers
The Federal government provides grant funding to non-profit or cooperatives in the areas of health, housing, nutritional services and educational awareness to expectant mothers. There are no direct funds given to expectant mothers. Women who are expecting a child can take advantage of several programs designed to cater to the needs of expectant mothers.
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Low Income Designation
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Many of these federal grant funded programs are for expectant mothers of low income designation. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, low income designation is defined as a person or person(s) living at or below the annual income threshold of $16,000. In special cases, low income designation is also determined by the number of members versus income in a family household.
Treatment at neighborhood clinics
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Through grant funding, the federal government funds health agencies and free clinics for expectant mothers of low income designation. At these agencies, an expectant mother can get basic health care services and screenings. Care is also provided after the pregnancy for infant checkups. Your local Department of Health and Human Services provides information on free health screenings and services for expectant mothers.
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Food Stamp benefits
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The food stamp program can provide monthly benefits to expectant mothers of low-income designation and can be used to purchase food. Eligibility is determined by income status. The Federal government pays 100% of the food stamp program benefits through grant funding allocated each year through Congress. Your local Social Security office is where you can apply for food stamps.
WIC program
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides federal grant funding to state and local governments to operate nutritional programs that benefit expectant mothers through the WIC program. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides nutritious foods to low income expectant mothers, breast feeding women and children up to the age of five. WIC provides educational services as well as referrals to nutritional experts to help expectant mothers create and maintain proper diets. Your local state health or social services department can provide guidance on where to apply for WIC benefits.
Section 8 Housing
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There is a housing program for expectant mothers that are on low income through HUD's Section 8 program. Section 8, a rental housing subsidy program, allows expectant mothers' to have a safe haven to live in. In this program, the tenant pays 30% their income as a rental subsidy to the landlord and HUD pays the rest. Program participants are free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and housing is not limited to units in subsidized housing projects. Section 8 is supported by HUD federal grant funding.
Applying for Section 8 Housing
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If you are an expectant mother and you need housing assistance, you should contact your local public housing authority. Your public housing authority is the organization that you apply for Section 8 status. You can contact your local HUD office for the public housing authority agencies in your area.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Raúl Hernández González
