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Financially stable people don't....but sometimes programs like WIC can be a stepping stone to becoming financially stable. Of course there are people who just want every handout they can get, but there are also people who genuinely just need a little help to get to where they want to be. Programs like WIC and others are designed to help children
Thankfully I've never had to rely on social programs, but I know plently of decent working single mothers who do....it doesn't make them bad people.
Why is it that single fathers don't fall under the same stereotypes that single mothers do?
And oftentimes the absentee fathers are the real culprits...
If a mother needs WIC to help her children get the food they need, how can that be a bad thing? Of course, there are those who abuse the system, but there hasn't been a "system" created in this world that isn't subject to abuse by rich and/or poor alike.
If you plan on moving to NY move in the suburbs (Westchester County) or Long Island or even to NJ. It is cheaper and the schools will be better. Neighborhoods will be cleaner and better for your children! Good Luck
If you have $10k saved, move somewhere where you can provide a better life for your children, where that $10k could pay for rent for 2 or 3 years instead of half a year. You really want to move yourself and 2 kids into a studio? Why? You can move somewhere else and have a nice apartment on your savings alone. Why do you want to come to NYC, one of the most expensive, competitive places to live, when you have no money and are already looking into government assistance????
Financially stable people don't....but sometimes programs like WIC can be a stepping stone to becoming financially stable. Of course there are people who just want every handout they can get, but there are also people who genuinely just need a little help to get to where they want to be. Programs like WIC and others are designed to help children
Thankfully I've never had to rely on social programs, but I know plently of decent working single mothers who do....it doesn't make them bad people.
Why is it that single fathers don't fall under the same stereotypes that single mothers do?
Because single fathers usually became single fathers under different circumstances. Divorce, etc.
Single Mothers usually became single mothers because they were left or they were widowed, usually the first one. A 17 year old girl not finished HS gets pregnant, than the man just gets up an leaves. Thats the stereotypical situation and thats pretty much where my half sister came from (My father was there, he just died)
Thats why single mothers usually have a rough time supporting themselves and there kids and thats why kids of single mothers are much more likely to get into bad stuff even if the parent is great.
It sounds like you are a professional with a good education whose husband died (Im very sad, thats sorry) I'm guessing when your husband was around you were financially stable, as you are now.
Most single mothers were never financially stable, the stereotype (which is sadly usually true) is that they themselves come from broken family's and generational poverty and they usually don't even have a HS diploma.
To say otherwise of what I stated would be straight up insulting to me and the millions of kids of single mothers who grew up hard. Life aint a piece of cake when mommy is working 2 min wage jobs just to stay off the street and theres people dying not of natural deaths where you live.
Like I said, Single Fathers usually don't follow these guidelines because they can just leave. The Mother doesn't give birth to the kid, than split an give it to the Dad (Im sure it happens) but the Women has to actually give birth to the child and during that time is when the Father usually leaves.
I would not recommend someone in your position, a single mother with 2 young kids, to move to this city, especially witha measly 10K in savings. The only service that the low-income subsidy programs will provide you with are unending hurdles, requirements, rules, regulation, and headaches just to enter the program, the same or more to stay on the program, and benefits that can be taken away at any time, for any minor reason.
That being said, with your BA, 2 kids, and subsidy programs, you can expect to live in a generally bad area, with guaranteed bad schools, a poor quality of life, and not making ends meet. Why exactly would you want to move into the most expensive city in the country, with 2 kids and 10K in savings? Do you believe the poor/working class (which would be you) live wonderfully on foodstamps and WIC? Do yourself and your family a favor, do not move here.
Hello,
I'm a single mother to 2 young children and I have been contemplating relocating to NYC for some time. I wanted to hear other people's opinions on living options and conditions. I was thinking of living in Brooklyn in a small studio or one bedroom-will they rent it to a mother and two children? Also are there any programs available to low income families? What would I need to earn monthly for a situation like this. Thank you for your help and any opinions!
You dont mention how much you earn or your earning capabilities. You also dont mention the age of your kids.
anyways, since no one will answer your question directly.
without much effort you can get a Studio / 1 bedroom (this is REALLY TINY.) for $900/mo
gas/electric = 60 - 100 /mo (depends on you)
cable/telephone = 75-100 (depends on package)
WIC = yes you can get it, and it helps ALOT (milk is $3.50 or so a gal) and its easy as hell to get (free)
Health plus for you AND your kids = yes, pretty easy to get. Food that WIC doesnt pay for = $100/wk (depends on you)
car insurance = 1500/6months (depends on your age. im assuming ur under 30 so its really high)you dont NEED a car. but its nice.
baby sitter 1= $8-$17/hr CASH for an au pair type person to watch your kids. probably more since you have 2 kids. Pluses ..Usually a cute college girl. baby sitter 2= $100-$300/wk CASH to have the neighborhood babysitter lady with 5 cats and probably 3 of her own grandkids to watch your kid (watching means planting your kid in front of a TV with her 3 grandkids) Pluses.. your kids will be bilingual and well fed Daycare = 3-500/wk . its just a daycare. Pluses... its tax deductible.
Carfare to NYC = $76/mo (you plan on working in NYC right?) Lunch in NYC = $8/day average (unless you're one of those hotties that can survive on a yogurt, peice of pretzel and 3 gallons of water)
You wont be able to get section 8. You might be able to get on welfare, but not if you plan on working, they will take that from you right away. you can probably get food stamps, depending on how much you make at your job.
Anyways, if you do the math, you will see you need about $1500/mo give or take to SURVIVE. not necessarily LIVE. there many things i didn't factor in like clothes, a slice of pizza, a night out, pharmacy things, diapers, carfare, etc.
Is it DOABLE. sure. it is. will it be easy? no. much of it will depend on where you live and how you live.
What you need to really do, is look at your kid's faces and ask yourself REALLY, is this something that will benefit them. IF you work in Manhattan, you will probably be on the train for 2 hours a day. that makes your work day about 8am-6pm (if ur lucky) you get home, and you're tired. you need to cook, clean, do homework, bathe the kids, read to them, talk to them, tickle them, put em to bed by umm 8:30. In a studio, you might as well go to sleep because if you watch tv, you will keep them up.
It sounds like you have no family in nyc. And the places you can afford to live, you wont want any friends from there. chances are you will NOT have a backyard for them, a pool, a park, a safe playground, cheap sporting activities or anything for them to DO. so your kids will be hanging around the neighborhood with the local $hitheads and gangbangers.
The only thing they see worth anything is the drugdealer driving around in his escalade. All your hard work, your bull$hit degree, your pain, your strife, will be all for naught. Kids look at you, and you are the loser. All the negativity surrounding your kids will breed apathy and drag them down. Your daughters will get pregnant. Your sons will die or go to jail.
Does it HAVE to be like that? no, of course not. You can beat the odds. Any one can. But when you're gonna gamble, never bet what you cant cover (your kids) and always stack the game in your favor. From what little we know about you, you cant afford to stack the game in your favor, so dont bet your kid's life away.
sorry if i make things sound bleak, but it is what it is. if you dont have the $$ or the family/friends network to back you up in nyc, you really should think long and hard about relocating here.
Good luck, and let me know if there is anything i can help you with.
thank you for your answers. well i am certainly having second thoughts about moving to nyc based on all the negativity i see in this forum. i don't want my children growing up in an environment where everyone is unhappy with their lives.
both of my children are under the age of 5 and i'm not going to leave them with some crazy cat woman or a naive college girl. i grew up in a wealthy suburban area and although my children wouldn't be subjected to random shootings there are many other ills they would have to deal with, so the suburbs are out of the question. as is a car since there seems to be 24/7 public transportation.
so brooklyn is a bad place to live in huh? there are no good parts of brooklyn? what about other locations outside and around manhattan?
thank you for your answers. well i am certainly having second thoughts about moving to nyc based on all the negativity i see in this forum. i don't want my children growing up in an environment where everyone is unhappy with their lives.
both of my children are under the age of 5 and i'm not going to leave them with some crazy cat woman or a naive college girl. i grew up in a wealthy suburban area and although my children wouldn't be subjected to random shootings there are many other ills they would have to deal with, so the suburbs are out of the question. as is a car since there seems to be 24/7 public transportation.
so brooklyn is a bad place to live in huh? there are no good parts of brooklyn? what about other locations outside and around manhattan?
To live in a semi-safe area, you are looking at $1k+ a month for a tiny tiny studio 1 BR. Where are you moving from? Why do you want to move to NYC?
Who is going to watch your children? Daycare is serious $$$ in the entire metro NYC area.
People in this area are not unhappy with their lives, but it's one of the largest cities in the world, and the reality is, to safely, comfortably live in this area, you have to make decent money.
It is not negativity that we wrap ourselves in at night in NYC, it is just the reality of living in the city. Considering your circumstances, I will agree with everyone else on the board and say that you, your family, your mental health, phyical health, living conditions, and financial health, would be FAR better off going somewhere where your BA can go much further in providing good housing, a fair income, and good schools for your kids.
NYC is a wonderful place for those that can afford it, that do not need to send their kids to public schools, and are high wage earners. For all others, it is difficult to make ends meet, and most times, a terrible place for a family that is poor/lower class (which would be you). There is a whole world out there that can provide somebody like you a far better quality of life. You can always visit the city, you do not have to live here.
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