Did you know that 65% of the families Working In Neighborhoods serves are single-mothers with children?
Of all single-parent families in the U.S., single mothers make up the majority, and out of 12.2 million single parent families in 2012, more than 80% were headed by single mothers. Single parent women are raising 20 million children under the age of 18, and of that group 41% of single parent households live at or below the poverty level. Poverty is on the rise in single-mother families.
When a destitute mother starts earning an income, her goal to succeed invariably centers around her children; a woman’s second priority is the household. She wants to buy utensils, or find a bed for herself and her family. Newly divorced or single mothers establishing homes with their children is a significant subset of single female homeowners – the need for supporting single parent women as they build their lives, their careers, and raise their children is our nation’s future.
Few people have ever spent their way out of poverty. Those who escape do so through saving and investing for the long-term. Working In Neighborhoods provides the opportunity for these families to obtain the skills for long–term financial stability, ultimately leading to success in their lives and for their children’s future.