Today’s economy has got parents pressure-strapped financially and mentally and it’s leaving us physically exhausted. In many homes across the country, a large percentage of parents are forced to maintain a two-income household (sometimes more unfortunately) just to make ends meet. Unfortunately with the cost of daycare in many major metro areas it’s a tough decision to have both parents out of the home because childcare can eat up as much as 75% of middle-American income.

Even with both parents working, our nation is seeing an increase in homeless families and families that fall under the federal poverty line. By homeless, I’m not referring to living in the street. The federal government considers a family or individual homeless if even if they reside or share a home with another family or individual and they are not the primary “head-of-household”.

Though we’re all struggling to get by in some form another, many are unaware of the vast array of government programs both federal and local that can greatly improve your way of life and help take some weight off your wallet and monthly expenses. Here are a few noteworthy places to get started if you’re looking for assistance in getting your head above water and keeping it there.

Food Benefit: The Federal Food Stamp program referred to as SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) has been around for well over 50 years, as part of the US Department of Agriculture. It’s now commonly run at the state level by each individual state (Michigan, for example, has the “Bridge Card program”). This supplements your monthly income with a food benefit package that lets you shop with an electronic benefit card that is used like a debit card. A family gets an allotment of money to use on food that is recharged each month. Most states have their own guidelines for applying to the program. You can find offices in most major cities and are often affiliated with “Job and Family services” branches in your local community, such as the offices that handle unemployment cases. When you apply for Food benefit, you can expect to fill out an application that will look closely at your individual and household income as well major expenses including things like child support payouts, Rent, Utilities, Schooling, etc. The size of your family is also a factor. For information on locating and applying for food assistance in your local area you can visit the SNAP government website where they have a database for locating an office nearest your home.

Other Food programs: To note, there is also the WIC program (Women Infants and Children) designed to help expecting and new mothers/parents get proper nourishment for themselves and their new family. WIC gives a preset allotment of specific food items that change based on the age of your children. Benefits include things like formula, milk, cheese, bread, and proteins like peanut butter or beans, and natural juices. A new addition to WIC is the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in the form of open produce, allowing you to buy up to a pre-set dollar limit in fresh produce.

Food pantries: Most communities, even smaller towns and more sparsely populated counties run Food Pantries where local citizens can stop in on limited days each month to get food baskets and commodities for their homes. While each community differs, and it’s difficult to find specific locations because they do not advertise, most are run on the local level and can be found by talking to local community assistance centers or churches. Often a Chamber of Commerce can help you locate the local food pantry in your area. Churches are also excellent locations to seek food assistance if you need commodities for your family.

Local soup kitchens are often open one or two days a week, sometimes more. They run on donations, but some ask for small donations from those who visit. These are places where you can take yourself and your family for a hot meal if you’re in need.

VFW organizations and LIONS club often work within their community to bring food and other commodities to families in need, especially around the holiday seasons.

Cash assistance: There are government programs to assist with money and getting bills paid. Like other programs, these are often managed at the state level however by visiting your states website you may be able to quickly and easily locate information for your community. Often times, cash assistance is rolled in with food assistance if you obtain that food assistance through government run agencies like Job and Family Services offices or a similar Department of Human Services. Cash assistance is often different in food assistance in that, in many cases, in order to get cash assistance you often must show that you are actively seeking work or participate in a welfare-to-work program and earn the money.

From local offices like churches, Salvation Army, etc one can get cash assistance for bills. The organizations don’t set aside a lot of funds for this, as they run on donations. It’s often a first come, first serve basis when they have open days for applicants to come in and seek help. In many cases, they will require a letter of denial for assistance from a government aid agency (like Department of Human services or similar offices) before they will provide assistance, and you have to provide proof that the bill is delinquent and/or to be disconnected. These offices can often help with car repairs and other financial hardships such as rent or housing placement if you were forced to move but came up short for a security deposit on a new home. Never under estimate how much local churches can assist the community. Church members and outsiders often pay tithe above and beyond their 10%, and put extra funds into a “Good Samaritan” or “community help” fund. That money is specifically set aside to assist families in need. My wife and I regularly put extra money into such a fund at our church because the last time we hit a hardship; our church helped us in a similar way

Vehicle Assistance Programs: Believe it or not, there are a lot of non-profit groups out there working hard daily to get vehicles to families who don’t have them or who are in desperate need of reliable transportation for work. ‘Opportunity Cars’ is an online database with a nationwide network of such organizations with a search feature to help you find the nearest company that could help you.

Job Assistance: Every state has an office set up, in nearly every populated county, to assist with getting people to work, back to work, and keeping those jobs. Michigan, for example, has “Michigan Works”. Most of these government agencies participate in similar “No worker left behind” programs. These programs provide grant money on a local level. This program allows workers who are stuck in a job incapable of supporting themselves and their family to return to college to study in another (pre-approved in many cases) career track. The government subsidizes the cost of the tuition to reduce the cost of returning to school. For example, I work in EMS as an EMT-Basic. Through my local Michigan Works office, I discovered that my job is a protected career track and falls under the No Worker Left Behind program. The next step up for me is Paramedic, and that career path is covered. Michigan Works and the government will pay up to $5000 toward a Paramedic course for me. The courses usually run anywhere from $5000 to $11000. At the very least, it’s nearly cutting the cost of tuition in half if I attend. Depending on the state of the budget and the number of applicants, there may be a waiting list. Check with your local unemployment and assistance agencies for information on these types of programs

Classes and Lectures: We can all benefit from knowledge, especially when it comes to parenting. Lets face it; the kid doesn’t come with any kind of instruction manual. Every little bit of information is helpful. Hospitals often have seminars and classes on parenting. These types of classes are also held in conjunction with Child/Family services offices. In many cases, these classes and group meetings are free to attend and provide wonderful insight and group discussion related to parenting as well as a variety of other topics including family health and wellness. Call your local hospital for information on classes held in your area.

Prescription assistance programs: Without medical insurance, the cost of prescription medication can be staggering if you have to pay out of pocket. Luckily, many of the pharmaceutical companies have prescription assistance programs. If accepted, the companies will cover the cost of certain medications for you. Each company has certain guidelines. Check with your local pharmacist for more information. You can also visit the PPA website (Partnership for Prescription Assistance) for more information.

Saving money at the store: Don’t forget that you can make a big difference in your finances by working diligently to cut costs while shopping. Get yourself a weekend newspaper and cut coupons. Most major grocers accept printed coupons from the net now, and there are some fantastic coupons out there. I recently got a coupon for a free 160z bottle of coffee creamer from International Delight just for becoming their fan on Facebook. Scour the Internet for coupons. There are a large number of website that offer coupons for free, no membership. My wife and I regularly use these. Pair the coupons up with local store specials, especially on days where a large grocery chain may have a “double coupon” day like the Meijer stores do out here. I’ve had shopping trips where I’ve saved nearly $100 from coupons alone.

Keep an eye on the Blog networks as well. A frequent search of blogs for coupons and such reveals pages filled with double-coupon dates and more for major retail outlets and grocers. I find these fascinating, but I never question the inside information. It’s great to find out about sales before other people do!

We all find ourselves in a rut sometimes. The important thing to remember is that there’s always a way out, and there is quite literally thousands of programs established to help people like you and me to keep our families afloat, and together. Embrace Google, Bing and other search engines to find more information on these topics, and never be afraid to ask. The worst someone can say is “no.”

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By: Stephen M Smith

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