There are so many scams out there, and when people have no money it’s easy to become misguided and fall into the wrong hands. This is an attempt to help people find websites that are actually United States Federal or State Government Agency websites.
It seems like this should be so easy to figure out, but when a single parent searches for something like “grants for single mothers,” or “Obama Money for single moms,” almost all of the search results are for private companies. So, it is difficult for a woman to know if she is clicking on a good website.
The internet is always changing, but this article may help. Not all .com (dot com) websites are bad. Some are great. Some are extremely helpful. If unsure about a specific website, call a local government office or the Better Business Bureau to get more information.
Federal Government Websites
Everyone should check what kind of website they are on. This article has a .com address and anyone can see this by looking at the top of the screen and seeing suite101.com.
- An official United States Federal Government website always has a “.gov” at the end of its URL.
- The main website for the Federal Government is like this: www.usa.gov
Click here for Federal Government Website and look at the very top of the screen. Ignore the slash after .gov. The slash (line) just means there are more pages on the website.
Every page in that website will have .gov somewhere in the URL address (at the top of the screen). Click here for a government employment search. Notice the top of the page. It says .gov. Everything after .gov is just the computer name for that particular page. Here is another important webpage for government benefits.
Look for .gov on Webpage
Any website that says .gov in the URL at the top of the screen is a webpage for some government agency in the United States.
If a website says .com, .org, .net, .tv, .info, or anything else, that website is probably related to a private company. Sometimes the private companies are helpful, but many companies have names that make them sound like they are part of the Federal or State Government. And, sometimes this is an attempt to trick people out of money, or sometimes these websites can help people fill out confusing government forms.
Obama Money for School
When looking for Obama Money to go back to school, or when looking for a Federal Grant, a single parent should always look to see if she is clicking on a government website or a private website. Always look for the .gov. Remember that there are good websites that are not .gov websites, but people should know what kind of website they are looking at.
Government Websites That Help Single Mothers
Here are some websites that may be helpful to single parents or anyone in heed of financial assistance:
- Hud.Gov: This page is for rental assistance.
- Here is Making Home Affordable.gov for mortgage help. People who live in California, Florida, or other hard hit states, should see if they qualify for mortgage help. Not everyone will qualify.
- Here is a Food Assistance Program for women and children.
Websites for State Governments
When looking for help from a state government, the website URL (at the top of the screen) should say .gov.
Here are examples for California and Texas:
- ca.gov is for California State Government.
- texas.gov is for Texas State Government.
- houstontx.gov is for the city of Houston Texas.
There are other good sites that do not have .gov in their URL addresses, but when people are looking for a government website in the United States, they should check to see if the website is .gov. There are other government-related sites that do not have .gov, but anyone looking for government assistance or scholarship money should know about URL addresses. Schools do not have .gov addresses, but they usually have .edu addresses. And, some non-government websites are very helpful.
Please do not rely only on this article. This is an attempt to teach single moms what to look for when they need assistance. If unsure about a website, contact a government agency by phone or contact the Better Business Bureau.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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