Life can indeed be very difficult for single mothers. Not only do they have to earn enough to support themselves and their children but also need to play the roles of both the mother and the father. Single moms, who are trying their best, to take care of their children often discover that after food and shelter, dependable transportation is one of life’s most basic necessities.

Lack of reliable transportation can be among the biggest barriers in the efforts of single mothers to work and be self-sufficient. Apart from the really big cities, it can be next to impossible to go to work and come back home without a personal vehicle as public transportation can be completely absent. Among the other challenges faced by single moms are taking the kids to school, and thereafter haul them to activities or day-care or even attend social functions.

Recognition of the Concern

Taking cognizance of the huge problem faced by single mothers, the American government, both at the Federal and state levels, have put into place a number of programs to help out single mothers. A number of charitable organizations too have joined in to make their lives easier. A study of the people under the ambit of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, of which single mothers constitute a vast majority, revealed that most of them have no or extremely limited access to cars.

Without access to personal transport, the opportunity to be employed and hence the earning potential can be severely restricted. This limitation translates to an increased dependence on government assistance, and a poorer quality of life.

Car Donation Program

The federal government devised a program that incentivized car owners to donate their cars when they were replacing them with an offer of a tax deduction. This several decades old scheme has been successful to a certain extent and car donation has become popular. The scheme also makes it more convenient for car owners to dispose their cars when they no longer need them. The proceeds of the auctions held to sell off the donated cars have been of great assistance to non-profits and charitable organizations. Commencing form the mid-1990s, a number of state governments have also implemented such programs to improve the access to transportation of TANF recipients.

While some programs simply donated the cars to eligible recipients, others offered them loans with nil or nominal interest rates to enable the recipients to purchase the cars. A number of programs also made the cars available on lease contracts, though there are no statistics available on how many of them managed to be regular with their monthly payments. While all residents of US, irrespective of the state of residence, can donate cars and qualify for the tax deduction, not every state offers programs that match the needs of single parents under the TANF program. Unfortunately, even at the federal level such a matching program does not exist.

The Role of Charities

A number of charities have also started accepting donated cars and giving them to single mothers who are finding the lack of personal transport to be a big challenge in finding or holding jobs. People are also encouraged to donate their cars as the charities take it upon themselves to collect the cars, clean them up, and park them until a recipient is found so that the donor can proceed to apply for the tax credit.

A single mother’s life can be truly transformed by the access to a car. Single mothers can take advantage of car donor programs to open up new opportunities and lead a better life.

Author bio: Marjorie Frost is associated with a car donation program of a leading charity. She also writes for a number of auto and car finance websites, like http://www.leasequit.com/.