Supporting single parents is one of the most important missing elements in many workforce housing development initiatives.
From the piece:
“And, after talking to some 15-20 other single parents, I found that their biggest need and a pain point, was a lack of a support system and a community – feeling like everything is on your shoulders, that you are on your own, and that no one is there to help you, especially when it comes to raising your child.”
A link to the piece is found here
“For young parents in work and school, more time spent in both activities can mean higher earnings in future years. Urban research shows that each 1 percent increase in parents’ time spent combining work and education is associated with a $451 bump in annual family income at age 30 (although there are other factors at play).”
https://www.urban.org/features/young-parent-balancing-act
“Single mothers in the United States can face many barriers to employment, like finding affordable child care and predictable work schedules. For many, a sick child or a flat tire can mean a lost job.
Yet since 2015, something surprising has happened: The share of young single mothers in the work force has climbed about four percentage points, driven by those without college degrees, according to a New York Times analysis of Current Population Survey data. It’s a striking rise even compared with other groups of women who have increased their labor force participation during this period of very low unemployment.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/upshot/single-mothers-surge-employment.html?smid=em-share
“There is a growing awareness of the links among access to child care, parental employment, and overall economic growth. Businesses rely on employees, and employees rely on child care. When problems with child care arise, parents must scramble to find alternative options—or miss work to care for their children. For millions of parents, that insecurity can mean working fewer hours, taking a pay cut, or leaving their jobs altogether.”
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/
