New Report Unveils Hidden Crisis Among Single Mothers in Tarrant County

November 6, 2025

For the first time, new data connects the dots between the biggest barriers keeping local mothers and their children in poverty

Fort Worth, Texas - New research from Center for Transforming Lives provides a sobering look into the challenges facing local single mothers in 2025. The report, Disrupting Poverty and Promoting Well-Being for Single Mother Families in Tarrant County, presents local data on poverty, housing instability and child well-being.

In Tarrant County, one third of single mothers with a child under age 5 live in poverty; in some zip codes, that number jumps as high as 70%. The Center’s findings highlight three key factors preventing upward mobility for single mothers, including affordable housing, access to child care and health care.

The report (focused on Tarrant County) states:

• Single mothers spend 51% of their income on rent.
• The eviction rate is five times the national average, with four in 10 renters evicted in 2023.
• There are only 11 seats for every 100 children needing subsidized child care.
• Women with children under age 6 have the highest rates of unemployment (6.7%).
• As many as 40% of single mothers lack health insurance.

“This research is essential to understanding the challenges faced by single-mother-led families living in poverty and identifying effective ways to support them,” said Bethany Edwards, Ph.D., director of research & evaluation at Center for Transforming Lives, and author of the report. “For the first time, we have a comprehensive picture of the very real challenges facing these families, from lack of affordable housing to lack of child care to lack of mental health support. You can really see how these factors play into one another and why it is so difficult for these families to break the cycle of poverty without integrated support.”

To put the data into perspective, the median household income in Tarrant County in 2023 was $81,905, according to Data USA. For single mothers, the average income is $33,909, while the average rent for a two-bedroom home is $1,700 a month.

“Due to the perfect storm of record high rent rates, lack of affordable child care and wages that have stagnated, low-income families headed by single mothers are simply priced out of the market,” said Carol Klocek, CEO of Center for Transforming Lives. “Even working multiple jobs, single mothers have a difficult time keeping a roof over their children’s heads.”

The report also illustrates how a two-generation approach, like services offered by the Center for Transforming Lives, can help break the cycle of poverty, including:

• A family-centered approach that supports both parents and children at the same time.
• Integrated service delivery, such as providing housing support, child care, health care and counseling services, as Center for Transforming Lives does.
• Health insurance, which reduces financial strain and improves health outcomes.
• Path to a living wage, a key factor in achieving financial stability.

“These interventions work best when they’re combined,” Edwards said. “Helping a mother find a better job won’t last if she loses her child care or housing. The wraparound services that Center for Transforming Lives offers truly meet families at their point of need. Research shows this is the most effective way to not only reduce poverty but to help families create long-term financial independence. When we support mothers and their children together, that’s when real transformation happens.”

To download the full report, please visit www.transforminglives.org/research.

About Center for Transforming Lives

Center for Transforming Lives partners with single mothers and their children so they can thrive. Founded in 1907, the non-profit is one of Tarrant County’s biggest family safety nets, working to disrupt cycles of poverty and homelessness among the most vulnerable in our community. Center for Transforming Lives meets the needs of 3,000 women and children annually, through a comprehensive and evidence-based, two-generation and trauma-informed model. Thanks to housing support, early childhood education, economic mobility services and counseling services that work across generations, parents and children establish security and well-being as a family. Led by CEO Carol Klocek since 2009, the $24 million non-profit celebrated the opening of its new Riverside Campus headquarters in May.

For more information about the Center for Transforming Lives, please visit www.transforminglives.org.

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Contact:
Trish Rodriguez
Director for Communications
trodriguez@transforminglives.org
817-996-7330