Apply for social security survivor benefits! Apply for welfare.

My uncle wasn’t married to his wife anymore when she died of a “heart attack.” (It was cocaine but ssssh!). My mom got him to apply for social security. My cousins mom didn’t work much but they got some survivor benefits. My uncle told my cousin he got it for her so she started having a hissy fit every month about it and called it “her money.” So he started giving it to her. The dumb fuck couldn’t pay his bills because she used it to run to the bigger town and buy clothes she wore once.

The money is a survivor benefit paid to the adult for the kids. You buy food and clothes and pay rent with it. The kids don’t even need to know it’s happening.

You can also get social security if a kid is disabled, ADHD counts. You can get ssi for the kid and the main caretaker can get SS for not being able to work a different job.

There might be some other benefits out there too.