It takes a village to raise a child, so says the famous African proverb. But nobody really talks about how single women need the support of a village, too, especially single mothers who face the huge responsibility of raising their children alone. In fact, the irony of being a single mother in the United States is that it can feel liberating but also desperately isolating – especially if you are financially unstable.
Hands of The Carpenter aims to become the “village” that supports the single mothers of our community. Our founders created a unique faith-based nonprofit aimed at providing transportation support for deserving working single moms. Through used car donations and vehicle assistance, we give single mothers the opportunity to keep their jobs and look forward to a better future. Qualified candidates can apply through our various programs for vehicle placement, repairs, and maintenance.
Our goal is to remove the lack of reliable transportation as an obstacle for any of the 21,000 single moms in Jefferson County but we have to make sure that those receiving our services are qualified. So how do we ensure that our beneficiaries are truly deserving of the used cars we receive from our donors? We’ve gathered the relevant information you need regarding our qualification and application process.
Who can apply?
One who qualifies as a single mother can apply. See the below qualification details:
- Applicants must be working single mothers with dependent children residing in Jefferson or Broomfield County*
- Applicants must be valid legal drivers, and must be able to prove it with the following documents:
- Current valid driver’s license
- Current and valid vehicle registration (Must be registered in client’s name)
- Current and covered insurance
*For program qualification purposes, a single woman is someone who identifies as a woman and is financially supporting herself; who is caring for dependents on her own; is a widow; is separated from her spouse but not divorced; is divorced; (a single person may share a living space with roommate(s) who each maintain separate financial responsibility). She may be dating (but not living with) a partner and would still be eligible for the Hands program.
Can I apply if I am outside of Jefferson County, Colorado?
Yes, you can. Right now, we are primarily serving in Jefferson County. However, we are beginning to serve in Broomfield County, and mid-year, we will expand our service areas by adding some more zip codes. We are also adding another area up north in the 4th Quarter of 2021.
Also note that for the Vehicle Placement Program, you can be a direct referral of one of our existing nonprofit partners. We will require an application form directly filled out by our nonprofit partner in these instances. For more information, you can contact us.
Is it free?
No. There are costs associated with each program.
Are there other documents that I need to submit?
Yes. To qualify, you must present proof of income, social security, disability benefits (if any), car insurance, driver’s license, and other such documents. You can find fees and specific application requirements by visiting each program’s webpage found in the Get Help section of the homepage.
If I qualify for any of the vehicle assistance programs, what do I do next?
If you feel that you (or someone you know) meet the qualifications, then please don’t hesitate to start with an application online. Depending on your needs, you can apply for the following Good Neighbor Garage Programs (GNG):
After submitting the required documents, simply follow the instructions provided. A client services manager will get in touch with you to go through the next steps.
Please note that our application slots often close when the programs are filled to capacity. But we encourage you to please keep checking because once we receive more car donations, we always open more slots.
Conclusion
A reliable vehicle is a basic need that is often overlooked – especially if it’s something you’ve always had the privilege of having. But many single mothers struggle daily with transportation issues. Car payments are expensive. Fuel prices always seem to be rising. Even if they have a car, car repairs can be prohibitively expensive. That’s why when a person is struggling financially the car is often the first thing to be sold. And once that happens, how do they drive to work? How do they drop off their kids at school? How do they go and get groceries and medicine? How do they get to the hospital?
Help is always there if you know where to look. Based on faith and love for our community, Hands of The Carpenter vehicle assistance programs may just be what’s needed. If you or anyone you know is a qualified fit, we’d be happy to receive your application.
