In the United States, 42 million people are living in poverty.

There are 7.3 million women in this country who are single moms and almost 40% of households headed by single mothers are experiencing poverty. One in three individuals who experience poverty as children will continue to experience it as adults.

These statistics speak to a lack of access, over generations, to quality housing, meaningful health care, culturally affirming education, stable employment opportunities, and a host of other social determinants of health that influence a family’s stability and well-being.

In Boston, 17% of residents are single mothers and 40% of their children are poor, often struggling with limited access to resources that are essential for long-term success. Poverty is not a temporary setback; it’s a persistent barrier that prevents these mothers from building a strong foundation for their future and that of their children. The rising costs of housing, food and child care — coupled with this season of economic and political uncertainty — are widening the gap between those with affluence and marginalized families already living on the edge. Single mothers find themselves at a crossroads, needing greater support to keep moving forward but lacking the resources and support systems to do so.

Leveraging a college degree

While higher education alone isn’t a cure-all for systemic inequality, it can be one of the most powerful tools for creating economic mobility. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research reports that for every level of education achieved, a single mother is 32% less likely to live in poverty. A mother’s education level is strongly correlated with her child’s educational status as she passes on her values, aspirations, and educational know-how. That is why the Jeremiah Program focuses on creating a stable base for success by investing in mothers earning college degrees.

At Jeremiah Program (JP), which has operated in cities across the country for a quarter of a century, we have one of the strongest strategies for disrupting poverty two generations at a time — making sure moms don’t have to choose between their own success or their children’s. Jeremiah Program moms engage in biweekly coaching with trained family coaches who provide personalized support and guidance, while JP children benefit from subsidized summer enrichment programming, private academic tutoring, and access to nurturing environments that encourage their growth. JP moms attend 16 local colleges, some of which partner with our staff to collaboratively address the unique challenges facing parent scholars and ensure their success. Sixty-two mothers and their 112 children are currently being served by Jeremiah Program’s Boston South End campus.

Through our two-generation model, we’ve helped mothers and children access the resources they need to do well academically and socially. While there are numerous youth programs throughout Boston, we fail our kids if we don’t lift up, respect and respond to the adults who are raising them. Jeremiah Program understands that single mothers, especially those living on the financial edge, face impossible choices. But we believe no mother should have to sacrifice her future to guarantee that of her children.

Calling for change

This moment calls for a stronger response from all of us —individuals, organizations, and communities alike. We all need to be championing an expansion of child tax credits, raising the minimum wage, and reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) so as not to disincentivize work, pay increases, or fathers’ involvement in children’s lives. We should demand pay equity for women, pass universal paid family and medical leave, and make significant investments in affordable and accessible child care so that all families have the stability needed to thrive in challenging times. These initiatives will go a long way toward creating basic safety nets for struggling families. However, while we advocate for these critical improvements in such a hostile political climate, we are not scaling back but stepping up.

Jeremiah Program is meeting this moment by doubling the number of families it serves in 2025, ensuring that more mothers and children persist in school and graduate from college. Our commitment reflects the belief that economic mobility is a marathon, not a sprint and we’re here for families every step of the way.

Disrupting the cycle of poverty isn’t about focusing on one person in the family. It’s about centering the entire family and building a rich, supportive, and deeply responsive community that can hold and fuel the dreams of everyone in it.

Now more than ever there is a strong, collective need to amplify the voices of women doing so much for everyone else with too little themselves. Together we can meet the growing challenges of today with bold actions that ensure every mother has a chance to thrive. Actions that ensure that she can create space to pursue her goals and dreams and build a future filled with agency, dignity, hope and joy.

Alison Carter Marlow is the executive director of Jeremiah Program Boston.