You don’t have to go through it alone
Resources in Ontario to support single mothers.
Courtesy of any lane
It’s safe to say that the majority of women probably do not choose to become single mothers but rather, it is something that they have to suddenly face head-on. Parenting children within a partnership is hard enough, but doing it solo can be an entirely new world.
According to Statistics Canada in 2016, 81.3 per cent of children in a single-parent household were living with their mothers whereas only 18.7 per cent of children were living with their fathers. Below are some resources meant to support and aid women in their journey of single motherhood. You don’t have to go through it alone.
One Parent is a primarily online resource that aims to assist single parents through resources and programming.
They even list all of the provincial and federal benefits, bonds and grants you can apply for along with what it takes to be eligible. This includes having links available to each one’s official government website to learn more and apply.
Courtesy of Omar Lopez
Located in Toronto, Toronto Single Moms provides information to help single moms support themselves and their families. They also campaign and influence policies to reduce the stigma against single moms and make services more accessible to all families.
They run programming to equip single mothers with the skills and opportunities to gain employment and they host events to help mothers feel a part of a community and meet other people.
The YWCA is a Canadian support organization aimed at women and girls. Although this one is based in Toronto, there are many around the province of Ontario and it’s always a good idea to search up your local YWCA’s programming.
The YWCA Toronto provides programming to support and strengthen families. This even includes child care which is of great importance to single working mothers. They also provide support and resources for teen mothers.
Courtesy of tiger lily
Single Mom Prosperity is a blog-style website that publishes articles relating to issues that single mothers face. They also work to provide information on various provincial and federal resources that would be of assistance to mothers.
The Sole Support Parent grant through OSAP is an Ontario-specific financial aid to assist single parents attending a post-secondary institution. It requires you to have at least one dependent child living with you on a full-time basis during your study period. You must also be single, separated, divorced or widowed.