Divorce 101- where can I get help for single parents

November 10, 11:49 AMSeattle Divorce Support ExaminerH.M. Weimar

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I recently encountered a girl who was struggling with the fact that she was now a single mother. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and was now facing the world alone with a child; having to face the day to household activities along with being the only one to care for a support her child. You do not have to be married or go through a divorce in today’s society to run into these same issues. There are a lot of us who face situations like this one all the time. We step out everyday and find a way to make it work. Here are some ideas on where to find help, what you can get help with.

DSHS- http://www.dshs.wa.gov/
What do they offer?
Help with food
Cash assistance
Medical help
Mental health
Treatment for addictions
Adoption
Child care
Child support
Foster parenting
Medical insurance for kids
How do you get it?
Here are some questions you can ask yourself and be prepared for before you speak with DSHS.
Counting yourself, how many people are in your home?
How many children live with you?
How much money do you earn in a month?
How much money does your family get in a month other than earnings?
How much money does your family have?
How much money does your family pay each month in child support?
How long does it take?
How long it takes depends on the office. DSHS has been trying to improve the amount of time it takes for them to reply to you. You can now apply online and drop off needed paperwork in mailboxes set up at each office. It used to be that you had to wait up to a month for help; all the new implementations have improved that. Replies can be received within 24 hrs sometimes. If they can’t help you promptly they will give you a list of places you can go to receives services you need.
 

Child support enforcement- http://www.dshs.wa.gov/dcs/
What do they offer?
Administrative Support Order Establishment
Full Enforcement or Collection Services
Locate Services
Medical Enforcement
Paternity Establishment
Payment Processing Services Only
Electronic Funds Transfer/Electronic Data Interchange for Employers
Electronic Funds Transfer for Parents
Post-secondary Educational Support
Tribal Support Services
How do you get it?
Families who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Children or Medicaid automatically receive DCS services. You qualify to receive DCS non-assistance services if you are not currently receiving services from another state and any one of the following statements applies to you:
I am a parent who has custody of a minor child.
I am a lawful custodian of a minor child.
I am a former custodian who is owed child support that accrued under a support order.
I am the father of the child and want to establish the paternity of my child.
I am the non-custodial parent of a child and want to pay support.
I am due court ordered post-secondary educational support for a child in school.
If both the custodial parent and the noncustodial parent live outside Washington, the non-custodial parent must have some tie to Washington State, such as, a Washington support order, a Washington-based employer, or assets located in Washington. If there is no tie to Washington, apply for services in the state where one of the parents live.
How long does it take?
The length of time depends on several things. Sometimes you can receive a child support payment within the first month after DCS takes collection action. The process can take longer if there is no child support order, the paying parent is on public assistance, has no assets, or lives in another state.
 

Support groups
Here are some available support groups with online information. This should help you get started.
http://single-parent.meetup.com/
Seattle- http://www.pwp55.org
http://www.counselingseattle.com/resources/support-group2.htm
Kittitas- http://community.gorge.net/skcnparentsupport/
http://www.specialdelivery.org/what.html
Bellevue- http://www.westminster.org/connect/groups/single-parents/
Vancouver- http://www.newheights.org/info/singleparents
http://www.saferchild.org/single,.htm
 

Family and friends can also be a big help in these trying times. Be sure to look to your own support structure and don't be afraid to admit you need help.
Thank you for reading my article today. Hopefully some of these ideas and stories have helped ease the stress of being a single parent. If you have any ideas or would like to share your story you can leave a comment below or email me at hmweimar@yahoo.com. You can also follow me on
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