Two-thirds of single-mother households in Denton County earn too much for federal aid but can't cover basic costs. A $40,000 grant announced Monday, Aug. 17, will fund more than 8,000 days of care for 11 of those families through Cumberland Youth & Family Services, a Denton-based nonprofit that also expanded low-cost counseling to Lewisville earlier this year.

Texas Women's Foundation selected Cumberland as a 2026 grant recipient, drawing the money from the Mrs. H.L. (Ruth Ray) Hunt Memorial Fund. The grant supports Cumberland's Family Residential Program, which serves single-parent ALICE households. ALICE stands for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed: families earning $24,000 to $45,000 a year who spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

"There are hardworking families who are struggling with rising costs and housing affordability," Cumberland president and CEO Courtney Banatoski said in a statement reported by the Cross Timbers Gazette. "This grant will help us maximize the impact we're making, each and every day, in the lives of the children, mothers and grandmothers we serve in our Family Residential Program."

The grant covers affordable housing with a progressive rent structure, case management, trauma-informed counseling, parenting workshops, financial literacy training, emergency barrier funds and academic support. In 2025, 17 families participated in the program and 85% were enrolled in college or trade and certificate programs.

The need is steep. United Way of Denton County data cited by Cumberland shows two-thirds of single-mother households countywide qualify as ALICE, a figure that applies across the county, including Flower Mound and Highland Village. Meanwhile, the ALICE Essentials Index, which tracks housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology, has risen 66% since 2007, outpacing the Consumer Price Index's 52% increase over the same period.

$5 therapy sessions now available in Lewisville

Cumberland opened a satellite counseling office in Lewisville in February, renting space from Lewisville First United Methodist Church. The office offers $5 therapy sessions for qualified uninsured and underinsured clients through a City of Lewisville social service grant. Residents who are uninsured, on Medicaid or earning at or below 50% of the Area Median Income can qualify.

Denton County has one mental health provider for every 600 residents. Banatoski told the Cross Timbers Gazette in February that the county falls far short of the ideal ratio of one provider per 250 residents.

Cumberland has operated from its Denton campus since 1932. The organization primarily supports youth in foster care, young adults aging out of foster care and single-parent families.

Residents interested in Cumberland's counseling or family programs can call 940-382-5112 or visit cumberlandservices.org.