Adopt A Single Mom Project

Did you know 25% of families in Northeastern Pennsylvania are headed by single mothers?

And 71% of them work; that’s 12,383 single moms who work to support their families and yet face a multitude of systemic barriers preventing them from living a sustainable and dignified life.

How can we as a community expect single mothers who work to be self-sufficient and thrive when they face barriers like economic injustice, lack of accessible and affordable childcare, unaffordable housing costs, food inflation, social isolation, and lack of support networks? 

Adopt A Single Mom Project is a one-of-a-kind social care support organization for working single moms regardless of income from pregnancy to age 21 of their youngest child. There are no other organizations in our region that provide this type of care and support specifically for this under-represented, under-recognized population. 

Our work is helping working single moms achieve a sustainable lifestyle by taking a whole-person centered approach to closing the gaps of unmet needs that are typical of these families. We achieve this by equipping these women with the real-life skills, meaningful social connection and mentoring, case management services to connect to resources, and educational programming to help her improve her financial, mental, emotional, and physical well-being so she can be the best version of herself and thrive as a mom, woman, and member of the community. 

THE ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE

These hardworking single moms confront stigmas and systemic obstacles despite their determination - earning a median income of just $27,000 while a dignified living wage for a 1 adult and 2 children household in NEPA is $78,416-$98,000.

Even with this significant gap between actual and living needs (a $51,416 deficit) many working families often don't qualify for subsidies and government assistance programs as a financial safety net.

OUR BEGINNING

The Adopt A Single Mom Project (AASMP) founded in 2017 by Donna Nelson, a working single mom living in NEPA. It was from her lived experience solo parenting two boys; one born medically fragile with a rare genetic disorder and passed away at age three. Donna understood intimately the multitude of challenges single moms face every day. It was her heart-centered desire to show some much needed recognition and appreciation to this special group of women in our community. Christmas 2017 she decided to pay it forward to make a social investment of gifting a few working single moms at Christmas so they had presents, especially for mom, under the tree. Since that time, over 1,000 working single moms have received gifts at Christmas and AASMP has grown into a year-round support resource across 7 NEPA Counties.

Single moms who work are often under-resourced and overlooked as having unmet needs. Today, we provide education for real-life situations, connect to resources to move their life forward, and a meaningful social support system to meet real-life challenges unique to single moms who work. 

WHO WE SERVE

We serve single women raising children. We understand not all 'moms' are biological. 

So whether she is grandmom, aunt, foster, natural birth, adoptive, or unrelated but the primary caregiver, we embrace them all.

She lives in one of the 7 counties: Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Wyoming, and Susquehanna Counties.

She is working or a full-time student.

Participation and support can begin at pregnancy up to the youngest age 21.

There are no income criteria. All single moms who work need a high level of support regardless of her income level and financial capacity.

The most common gaps for working single moms that keep them from achieving a dignified and self-sufficient qualify of life are:

• lack of affordable and accessible childcare




• safe affordable housing




• sustainable living wages with workplace flexibility 




• food insecurity 




• meaningful social support




• accessible and affordable mental health



• 
  

  safe and accessible transportation

  
  
  
  

  We hope you can help us close those gaps with the resources and education so the next generation has what they need to thrive.