“I’m trying to keep it together. There was an incident with my child’s dad. I called the police. He was arrested. I got an order of protection. Now I’m with my child in a shelter in another borough. And now there’s so much schoolwork. Thank you for reaching out and checking on us.”

That’s just one of the stories that Alex Budnitskiy is hearing from single parents during the pandemic. Alex is CEO of the Edith and Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, a UJA partner.

He’s also hearing stories about single parents who have lost their jobs. And about those who may still have their jobs, but can’t go to work anyway because there’s no one to watch their kids. And some, Alex tells us, have lost much-needed child support.

There’s one thing all single parents are facing now, Alex notes. There’s no break, because being a single parent is a 24/7 call.

Staff at Marks JCH, and UJA’s other nonprofit partners, are finding an overwhelming, immediate need. The greatest need is with assistance for rent, followed by help with food and utilities.

That’s why, as part of its more than $45 million in Covid-19 relief to date, UJA allocated emergency cash assistance to our nonprofit partners to help single-parent families right now.

Because many single-parent families were just getting by before the pandemic. Now it’s even harder. And we’re committed to making sure no family struggles alone.