If you’re a single mom in Wyoming struggling to make ends meet, keep reading for resources that help with:
- Emergency cash
- Housing
- Electric bills
- Medical and dental care
- Food
- Education
- Employment
- Charity organizations
Every month, I give out $500 cash to one single mom struggling with money, health, stress, child care, illness or loneliness — no strings attached.
Qualifications are simple:
1. You're a single mom.
2. You need the money right now.
Fill out this form to apply:
(Note that the figures and information in this post are current as of publication date.)
Many of the programs on this list determine eligibility as a percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL). These are the July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023 federal poverty guidelines:
| Number of people in family/household | Annual income |
| 1 | $14,580 |
| 2 | $19,720 |
| 3 | $24,860 |
| 4 | $30,000 |
| 5 | $35,140 |
| 6 | $40,280 |
| 7 | $45,420 |
| 8 | $50,560 |
* For families/households with more than 8 people, add $5,140 for each additional person.
You can also look up your area median income (AMI) here.
Emergency cash for low-income families in Wyoming
If you need cash to pay bills, buy gas, feed your family, or for any other reason, these resources can help:
Temporary Cash Assistance in Wyoming
Wyoming’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides cash assistance for qualifying families.
There are two forms of TANF in Wyoming:
- The POWER Work program
- Helps individuals find employment or other forms of financial stability
- Provides free child support assistance
- The POWER Caretaker Relative program
- Provides cash assistance to family members or caregivers to children
- Provides free child support assistance
The amount paid out varies depending on household income. However, a family of three with no income could receive $781 monthly through the POWER Work Program. Through the POWER Caretaker Relative Program for one child with no income or resources, households could receive $259 monthly.
Qualifications:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen
- Wyoming resident
- Have children under 18 in the household
- Household must have $5,000 or less in resources
- Meet income requirements
How to get help:
- Contact your local Department of Family Services (DFS) office
- Call 307-856-6522
- Email [email protected]
More emergency cash help in Wyoming:
Single moms in Wyoming can visit 211.org or dial 2-1-1 to ask for assistance.
Check out these posts for more ways to get emergency cash:
These are some more tips for getting cash quickly:
- Sell old clothes, toys, and baby supplies you no longer need — check out this post on things to sell around your house
- Get your tax refund early
- Ask for a raise at work
- Open a bank account that offers a signup bonus or high interest rate >>
| CIT Bank | Discover | Other options |
| – 4.50% APY for Savings Connect – No monthly fees – Only $100 to open an account >> | – 3.75% APY for Online Savings Account – No monthly fees – No opening deposit required >> | More savings accounts >> |
Housing help for single moms in Wyoming
If you need help finding a place to live or paying your rent/mortgage, these programs can help:
Public Housing and Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers affordable housing and vouchers to help low-income households pay their rent.
Qualifications:
Vouchers and housing are based on household income and family size. You can find your county’s income limits on the HUD website.
How to get help:
Contact your local public housing agency and ask how to apply for assistance
Mortgage assistance in Wyoming
If you need help buying a home paying your mortgage in Wyoming, these programs can help:
Wyoming Homeowner Assistance Fund
The Wyoming Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) helps Wyoming homeowners who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and meet eligibility criteria to stay in their homes.
Eligible homeowners can receive up to $17,000 as a one-time award to cover past-due mortgage payments, utility bills, taxes, and more.
Qualifications:
- Wyoming homeowner
- Currently occupy the property as the primary residence
- Financially affected by COVID-19
- Must not have received a previous HAF award
- Annual household income at or below 150% of the AMI
How to get help:
- Contact participating lender
- Call the WCDA at 307-265-0603
Spruce Up
Spruce Up offers financing for both the purchase and rehabilitation of a home in one loan, with 3.125% interest for a term of 30 years.
Households can use Spruce Up for:
- Minor remodeling and non-structural repairs
- Repairing or replacing plumbing, heating, AC and electrical systems
- Making changes for improved functionality and modernization
- Repairing or replacing roofing
- Making energy conservation improvements
- Creating accessible features for persons with disabilities
Qualifications:
- First-time homebuyer or have not owned a property in the last three years
- Adhere to purchase price and income limits
- Must be owner occupied as a primary residence
- May be subject to Federal Recapture Tax (contact WCDA for more information)
- FHA, VA, and RD financing acceptable
- Home must sit on 10 acres or less
- Single family homes, no option for rental income
- Manufactured homes on permanent foundations must meet FHA requirements
- First-time homebuyers are required to complete the homebuyer education class through Wyoming Housing Network, Inc.
How to get help:
- Contact a participating lender
- Call the WCDA at 307-265-0603
Wyoming down payment assistance
Wyoming Community Development Authority helps with down payment and closing costs through the following programs:
WCDA’s Down Payment Assistance (DPA)
Down Payment Assistance (DPA) loans help borrowers in Wyoming pay for their down payments and closing costs. Each DPA loan product has these basic features:
- $15,000 maximum loan amount
- 620 minimum credit score
- $1,500 minimum borrower contribution required
Home$tretch DPA Loan Product
- Must be used with First-time Homebuyer and Spruce Up products only
- 0% interest rate and 0.080% APR based on an average loan amount of $5,500
- No monthly payment
- Due upon sale of the home, refinance or 30 year maturity
Amortizing DPA Loan Product
- May be used with HFA Preferred and Advantage products only
- Fixed interest rate
- Fully amortizing, low monthly payments
- Maximum 10-year term
Qualifications:
Must meet income and purchase price requirements for household and area.
How to get help:
- Contact a participating lender
- Call the WCDA at 307-265-0603
Check today's mortgage loan rates >>
Homeless assistance in Wyoming
Wyoming Homeless Services Program and the Wyoming Homeless Collaborative work together to assist those experiencing homelessness. They connect people with:
- Emergency shelters
- Transitional housing
- Permanent housing
- Counseling to acquire the necessary life skills to maintain permanent housing
Qualifications:
Requirements are set by individual agencies and programs.
How to get help:
Contact Program Manager Karla McClaren at 307-721-1973.
More housing help:
Electric bill assistance in Wyoming
If you are struggling to pay your utility bills in Wyoming, check out the following programs:
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) in Wyoming
LIHEAP helps qualifying households with home heating and cooling costs, paid directly to utility companies. The agency does not assist with water, sewer, or telephone services.
Qualifications:
- Meet income guidelines
- Responsible for paying your home heating or cooling bills
- Wyoming resident
- U.S. citizen, qualified alien, or permanent resident of the U.S.
How to get help:
- Apple online
- Call 800-246-4221
- Email [email protected]
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
WAP helps low-income families lower their monthly energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. Types of assistance include:
- Installing carbon monoxide detectors
- Removing mold
- Replacing inefficient or unsafe heating units
- Insulating a single family home for energy efficiency
Qualifications:
- U.S citizen or a qualified alien
- Wyoming resident
- Meet income guidelines
- Automatically eligible if you are receiving SSI, TANF or Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits
How to get help:
- Apple online
- Call 800-246-4221
- Email [email protected]
More electric bill help:
Medical insurance and dental help for single moms in Wyoming
The following medical and dental services are available to qualifying individuals and families:
Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in Wyoming
HRSA, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, funds health centers that provide free or subsidized health and dental care to low-income people and those otherwise unable to access quality health care, like people living in rural areas.
HRSA also offers a 24/7 free and confidential mental health hotline for pregnant and new moms. Dial 833-943-5746 (833-9-HELP4MOMS) if you are struggling.
Qualifications:
Each health center sets its own eligibility criteria for free or reduced cost care.
How to get help:
Find an HRSA health center in Wyoming by typing in your address on HRSA’s search tool.
Wyoming Medicaid
Medicaid provides medical coverage for low-income individuals and families. In Wyoming, the program includes:
- Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) – Covers medical services like doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, mental health care, and transportation for medical needs
- Long-term Care (LTC) – Covers care in a nursing facility, assisted living, or at home (must be at least 18 years old and require nursing home-level care or hospital-level care if you have cystic fibrosis)
- Dental – Covers all dental services for children and adults
Qualifications:
- Resident of Wyoming
- U.S. national citizen, permanent resident, or legal alien
- Meet household income guidelines
Plus, you must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Pregnant
- Caretaker for a child 18 or younger
- Member of the household has a disability, including blindness
- 65 or older
How to get help:
- Apply online
- Email applications to [email protected]
- Call 855-294-2127
Wyoming KidCare
Wyoming Kid Care CHIP — part of the national Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — provides health and dental care coverage for Wyoming children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid.
Most families pay nothing, and many pay as little as $4 a month.
KidCare provides both health and dental services with a choice of local doctors, dentists, hospitals, and pharmacies. Benefits include:
- Doctor visits
- Surgeries
- Vaccines
- Vision and hearing
- Hospital stays
Qualifications:
- Meet household income guidelines — $3,839 for a family of three
- Wyoming resident
- Under age 19
- U.S. citizen or legally lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years
- Have not had insurance for at least 30 days
How to get help:
- Apply online
- Email applications to [email protected]
- Call 855-294-2127
Wyoming Hand in Hand (WHH)
The Wyoming Hand in Hand Home Visitation Program is available to all women, during pregnancy and following the birth of the baby for assessment, information and referral to community agencies.
Families are partnered with a trained registered nurse during pregnancy or after birth and receive home visits that continue through the child’s 2nd birthday. This program consists of at least 25 home visits.
Services cover:
- Prenatal care and parenting
- Conception
- Stress management
- Local resources and assistance
Qualifications:
Pregnant women and parents of children under 2 years old are eligible.
How to get help:
Contact your local Hand in Hand location.
More medical/dental help:
Food help for low-income families in Wyoming
A number of federal and state food and nutrition programs are available across the state:
Wyoming Food Assistance Program (SNAP)
USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp program) provides food benefits and nutrition education to low-income households.
SNAP recipients are issued an EBT card that can be used like an ATM card in retail food stores to purchase food, including:
- Breads
- Cereals
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meats
- Fish
- Poultry
- Dairy
- Plants and seeds to grow food
Qualifications:
- Wyoming resident
- Current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $2,500 or under $3,750 and share your household with one of the following:
- Person or persons age 60 and over
- Person with a disability (child, spouse, parent, yourself
- Meet income guidelines — $2495 for a family of three
How to get help:
Call or visit your local Department of Family Services office.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is a nutrition program that provides free baby formula and nutritional food items to low-income mothers and their babies.
Qualifications:
- Low-income, pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, for up to one year postpartum
- Women up to six months postpartum who are not breastfeeding
- Infants and children under 5 years old, including foster children
- Low-income sole provider parents of children under age of 5 who are at nutritional risk and who are below 185% of FPL
- If you are currently receiving Medicaid, Temporary Assistance, or Food Assistance help, you are also eligible for WIC
How to get help:
- Call or visit your local WIC office
- Fill out an online request
- Call the Department of Health at 307-777-7656
National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program
NSLP serves healthy, well-balanced, reduced-price or free meals to children in school.
An extension of the NSLP, the School Breakfast Program provides free or low-cost breakfast to eligible students. Schools with at least 80% of the students eligible for free or reduced-price meals must provide breakfast at no cost to all students.
Qualifications:
Household income must fall at or below the limits of the federal income eligibility guidelines.
How to get help:
- Contact your child’s school to enroll
- Call 307-857-9256
Wyoming’s Summer Food Service Program
The Wyoming Department of Education serves nutritious meals at no cost to children during summer break. Food is distributed at local schools, nonprofits, parks, and libraries.
Qualifications:
These are the current income guidelines for the Summer Food Service Program:
How to get help:
- Find a location near you at the USDA Summer Food Service Program website
- Call 307-777-7168
- Email [email protected]
Wyoming food banks
Food banks in Wyoming provide meals for individuals and families who are struggling to put food on the table.
Qualifications:
Each food bank sets its own eligibility and proof of need requirements.
How to get help:
To find a food bank near you and for additional information, visit the Food Bank of Wyoming website.
More food help:
Child care help for low-income families in Wyoming
There are multiple federally funded education programs and resources in Wyoming:
Wyoming Head Start and Early Head Start
Head Start is a free federal preschool program for children aged 3 to 5 from low-income families. Early Head Start serves pregnant women and children under age 3.
The programs focus on cognitive, social, and emotional development and prepare children for school.
Qualifications:
- Children from birth to 5
- Income is falls within FPL
- Children in foster care, homeless children, and children from families receiving public assistance (TANF, SSI, etc.) are eligible regardless of income
- Some programs accept kids with incomes above the Poverty Guidelines
- Pregnant women can also receive prenatal and postpartum information, education, and services through Early Head Start
How to apply:
- Contact your local Head Start or Early Head Start to apply
More child care help
Education help for single moms in Wyoming
If you’re a single mom who wants to further her education, here are some helpful resources:
Get a GED in Wyoming
If you are at least 18 years old in Wyoming, you can take the GED test. You may also be able to take the test at 16 or 17 with special permission from the school district where you live.
The GED test is broken into four exams on different subjects, which can be spaced out and taken at your own pace (though each individual exam has a time limit):
- Mathematical reasoning – 115 minutes
- Reasoning through language arts – 150 minutes
- Social studies – 70 minutes
- Science – 90 minutes
You have two options for taking the test in Wyoming:
- Online at-home test: $36 per subject
- In person at a test center: $20 per subject
Wyoming residents can also take the HiSET to earn high school equivalency.
Grants and scholarships in Wyoming
The Wyoming Community Foundation connects students and prospective students with grants and scholarships available in Wyoming.
Individual schools also offer need-based and academic scholarships for their students. If you’ve been accepted to a higher education institution, contact their office of financial aid to learn how to apply.
More education help:
Employment help for single moms in Wyoming
Workforce programs in Wyoming provide training and assist with employment:
Wyoming Reemployment Assistance (Insurance) Program
Unemployment Insurance provides unemployment compensation to eligible Wyoming workers who are out of work through no fault of their own.
The amount of unemployment benefits varies depending on how much you have earned in your base period. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $560, and the minimum weekly benefit is $40.
Qualifications:
- Wyoming resident
- Unemployed
- Previously employed for the past 12 months
- Earned a certain amount of wages
- Actively looking for another job
How to get help:
- Apply online
- Call 307-473-37898
American Job Centers
American Job Centers offer employment and training services, career counseling, and job search assistance.
How to get help:
- Search for a location on the American Job Center website
- Call 877-872-5627
- Email [email protected]
More employment help:
Charity organizations in Wyoming
There are a number of charitable organizations throughout Wyoming that offer support to single moms:
The Salvation Army of Wyoming
The Salvation Army wears many hats. Chapters assist with:
- Food, shelter and clothing
- Medication costs
- Education and job training
- Christmas presents
- Rent and utility bills
- Substance abuse rehabilitation
- Youth services
- Emergency disaster response
Qualifications:
Each Salvation Army branch determines its own eligibility criteria for different programs.
How to get help:
Visit the Salvation Army website to find your local chapter.
Catholic Charities of Wyoming
Catholic Charities assists with:
- Housing
- Utility assistance
- Food assistance
- Health care assistance
Qualifications:
Each Catholic Charities branch determines its own eligibility criteria for different programs.
How to get help:
- Contact Catholic Charities online
- Call 307-631-4206
- Email [email protected]
United Way of Wyoming
The United Ways of Wyoming connects people in need with local resources like:
- Food
- Shelter
- Child care services
- Housing
- Health care
- Support groups
How to get help:
- 211.org
- Dial 2-1-1
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