When You Need to Leave Where You Are and Find a Safe Place to Live…You Have Options
A lack of safe housing for single moms often keeps women and children in unsafe or difficult living situations for too long.
But there are options. You have to know where to look!
Single moms are some of the most hardworking and resourceful people I have ever met. We have to be!
We are usually just a few steps away from homelessness.
I’m convinced that this fear alone keeps us in places that harm us in some way. It may be physical, emotional, or financial. But the damage is very real.
Most single moms are bearing the weight of their child’s well-being alone. They have a front-row seat to the pain their child or children are going through.
And they want to do whatever they can not to make it worse. Or better yet, alleviate some of their child’s suffering.
Single moms filter every living option through these circumstances. And often decide that staying where they are is the only option besides homelessness and shelters.
While shelters can be utilized in desperate situations, no healthy mom wants to go that route if she can help it.
I also struggled deeply with this as a single mom. The fear I carried was great. Afraid to leave, but knowing where I was was not a good situation for my children or me.
But once I saw clearly that where I was was no longer safe or healthy, and no longer in God’s will for me, I started looking for options. And I would like to share these options with you!
I want to go in order of importance. Dealing with safety first.
If you are in an unsafe place, leave.
You can sort out the details later. There will never be a good time to leave. I’ve seen too many women wait for a “better” time, but it never came.
As scary as it is, safety is only found when you leave. Don’t let the “what ifs” keep you there. There will be a safe alternative.
My mom had a friend growing up—a woman with four children. Every Friday night, her husband would come home and beat her.
My mom begged her to leave. She made bus arrangements for her to leave town, but the woman declined.
Instead, she found suicide as an answer. She took her own life before the next Friday night. Sadly, with that decision, she left behind four children with a very violent man.
That’s a true but heartbreaking story. That precious woman was so broken, she could not see what was just around the corner.
As broken women, we sometimes don’t see the power we do hold and the power of our decisions.
We have options, and our children desperately need us to make decisions with their welfare in mind.
A strong single mom who chooses to do the right thing is better than keeping a “family” together when there is abuse included in the family unit.
Here is a national domestic abuse hotline:
Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline
If you are in a situation in which your internet use is monitored, here is the phone number:
800.799.SAFE (7233)
I am so sorry for the hardship you are going through, and it is my sincere prayer that this information will help you.
Emergency housing for women and children is available in every state.
Here is a link that will be helpful to you during this time:
Find Shelter | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Houhttp://Find Shelter | HUD.gov /
Income-restricted apartments or housing options.
There are also income-restricted apartments in every state. Here are some links to them.
Rental Programs | National Low Income Housing Coalition: When You Need to Leave Where You Are and Find a Safe Place to Live…You Have Options Low Income Housing and Apartments: When You Need to Leave Where You Are and Find a Safe Place to Live…You Have Options State Information | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): When You Need to Leave Where You Are and Find a Safe Place to Live…You Have Options
Every state also has Section 8 Housing.
Here are some links to this information:
PHA Contact Information | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Find Rental Housing with Section 8 Voucher | Zillow
Section 8 Housing can take a while to get through the waiting list, but finding an income-restricted apartment that will also work with Section 8 Housing is a great option.
In conclusion.
Housing options for single moms and their children may take a little research. But there are options!
And having your own “front door” is one of the most empowering situations for a single mom. Being able to live life on your own terms can bring health and happiness to your family!
Prayers for your journey,
Lacey
