DALLAS — Rising costs for groceries, child care, housing and gas are putting more pressure on single mothers in Dallas, with a local nonprofit reporting growing demand for housing and financial assistance.
Interfaith Family Services provides transitional housing and rent assistance to families facing homelessness or at risk of losing their homes because of job loss, divorce or illness.
Kimberly Williams, CEO of Interfaith Family Services, said working-class single mothers often struggle to keep pace with rising living expenses.
“The number of homeless families in the area continues to increase year after year,” Williams said. She added that many single mothers are “just one paycheck away from homelessness.”
The nonprofit also operates Hope and Horizons, a child care and after-school program that provides children with snacks, tutoring, activities and dinner while their parents work toward financial stability.
Donations and grants fund the organization’s programs, including rent assistance and transitional housing.
Williams cited the case of a mother who became homeless after a divorce, lost her job and then had to leave her rental home after the property owner decided to sell it.
The mother and her three children entered Interfaith’s transitional housing program, where they received a furnished apartment and free after-school care. The mother also participated in the nonprofit’s career training program and eventually found employment.
Williams said the woman left the program with more than $6,000 in savings, demonstrating how housing, child care and employment assistance can help families regain financial stability.