We meet you where you are — and help you get where you want to go
Different single parent families have different needs. Our clients range from people struggling bravely to meet their basic necessities, to stressed-out single parents looking for resources to help ease their burden.
Whether you face serious poverty or more day-to-day challenges, we’ve got your back with a wide range of free programming that’s customizable to your situation.
In the United States, 26.6% of children live with one parent only. In the 36 OECD member countries, an estimated 17% of families are led by a single parent — in 88% of cases, a mother. Worldwide, the United Nations states that single parents make up an average of 24% of households globally — or, by some estimates, upwards of 320 million children.
These numbers are growing, and it’s no surprise that the areas affected most by climate change, war and inequality — including Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean — feature some of the highest numbers of single-parent households. As these factors become more prevalent in the years to come, and affect more parts of the world, the problem will only get more severe and more widespread.
In developed countries, single parent families are more vulnerable to poverty thanks to a rise in precarious employment, cost of living and housing affordability. These conditions make single parents — mothers especially — more prone to financial insecurity, even if they’re employed. And in areas affected by war, food insecurity and climate change, the problem is even worse.
With poverty comes lost opportunity and poor health. British studies have shown that children in single-parent households are more than twice as likely to suffer from mental illness. Parents aren’t immune from suffering, either — in fact, research suggests that single mothers face the same elevated risk of depression as their children.
It’s well known that poverty is a cycle which is difficult to break out of. That’s why we created One Parent. Thanks to donors like you, we’re helping single parents make positive changes that lead to a better life for them and their kids.
How to Get Help
As a single parent, you’re attempting to do one of the most demanding jobs there is — without a core source of support. It’s a tall order for anyone and it’s natural to look for help wherever you can find it.
Our clients come from all around the world — from all backgrounds and walks of life. Even with every possible advantage, single parents face a difficult task. When you add financial pressure, housing insecurity or other pressures into the mix, that challenge becomes even greater.
Financial Services
Raising a family on a single income is harder than ever before. Having access to a little extra each month can mean less stress and fewer difficult choices — like having to decide between putting food on the table and keeping the heat on during the winter.
Our financial aid programs range from direct support and microlending to help with housing, food and clothing. We can connect you with government programs and subsidies, and walk you through the application process to increase your chances of acceptance.
If you’re in Canada, check out our Resources section for info about some of the federal, provincial, municipal and other programs you may qualify for.
Housing
We provide everything from setting single parent families in safe shelter homes across the city, to providing financial subsidies.
Food & Clothing
Food and Clothing banks are great ways to provide immediate support to those in need. While the quality, quantity and consistency of such banks can differ depending on the respective providers, we work closely with them to help fulfill our clients’ needs.
Personal Development
We provide educational training workshops for single parents, as well academic tutoring and extra-curricular activities, including but not limited to sports and recreation, entertainment and leadership development courses for kids.
Counselling
Raising a family is a journey — one that changes both parents and kids. If you’re focused on making ends meet, it’s easy to overlook mental health. It’s no surprise that single parents often feel stressed, worn out or worse.
Working with a team of licensed social workers, therapists and other mental health professionals, we provide counselling services for single parent families. There are many topics counselling can help with:
- Managing stress and exhaustion
- Dealing with grief and loss
- Maintaining a work-life-family balance
- Raising smarter, happier kids
- Financial literacy and financial planning
We at One Parent provide counselling services for single parent families. Our aim is to assist single parents and their children with professional mental, spiritual and health counselling services through a wide network of licensed, trained, experienced and accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and licensed professional counsellors.
We can connect you or your child with a temporary counsellor to help with a specific issue or incident, or with a longer term partnership where you’ll work to develop more positive habits and behaviours.
Personal Development
Our financial aid and counselling services provide the economic and mental health bedrock for improving lives. However, for many who have been stuck in poverty, taking steps beyond that and learning to make positive, permanent changes can remain hard.
One Parent provides personal development support for both parents and their kids. For parents, we can connect you with retraining and career counselling opportunities that will give you an advantage going forward. For kids, we can help find appropriate extracurricular activities — from sports to music to outdoor activities — that help them retain a sense of normalcy and inclusion even when times are tough.
Many of our clients live in underserved areas where access to these resources is scarce. We can provide transportation assistance and other support that makes it possible to take full advantage of free or low-cost personal development opportunities near you.