Keep Warm in Massachusetts

Need help paying your heating bills?

Winters are harsh! You work hard. Heat is expensive. The cost of staying safe and warm can be too much. There is help available to pay your heating bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP or commonly referred to as Fuel Assistance).

LIHEAP provides eligible households with help in paying a portion of their winter heating bills. Currently, the program is funded by the federal government through the Office of Community Services (OCS), Division of Energy Assistance (DEA). The program is managed by the MA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in conjunction with over 20 Community Action Agencies, other regional non-profits and local government agencies.

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What is Fuel Assistance?

The fuel assistance program is a critically important federally-funded initiative that helps to protect public health and safety by ensuring that lower income families and individuals have safe access to home heating fuels that will keep them warm in the winter.

Who Can Apply?

Homeowners and renters are eligible – including households whose cost of heat is included in the rent and not subsidized.

Do I Qualify?

Eligibility is based on household size and the gross annual income of every household member over the age of 18. Household income cannot exceed 60% of estimated State Median Income (view eligibility chart). If you are not sure, call your local agency. There are other funds available to help you save on heating costs.

Fuel Assistance Income Eligibility Levels

# in Household60% of Estimated State Median Income
1$37,360
2$48,855
3$60,351
4$71,846
5$83,341
6$94,837

View Complete Eligibility & Benefit Information

Where Should I Apply?

At the Fuel Assistance Agency in your Area

NameCityPhone NumberWebsite
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD)Boston, Brookline, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Stoneham, West Roxbury, Winchester, Woburn,617.357.6012http://bostonabcd.org/fuel-assistance-liheap.aspx
Action, Inc. (Action)Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester, Rockport, Wenham,978-281-3900http://actioninc.org/energy_fuel.html
Berkshire Community Action Council, Inc. (BCAC)Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mt. Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, Windsor,(413) 445-4503https://bcacinc.org/departments/Fuel-Assistance.html
Citizens for Citizens, Inc. (CFC)Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Westport,(508) 679-0041http://cfcinc.org/about-us/programs/energy-programs/fuel-assistance/
City of Cambridge, Department of Human Services (DHSP)Cambridge, Somerville,(617) 349-6252http://www.cambridgema.gov/DHSP/programsforfamilies/fuelassistance
Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV)Amherst, Ashfield, Belchertown, Bernardston, Blandford, Buckland, Charlemont, Chester, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Granby, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Huntington, Leverett, Leyden, Middlefield, Monroe, Montague, Northampton, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Sunderland, Ware, Warwick, Wendell, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Worthington,413-774-2310http://www.communityaction.us/fuel-assistance.html
Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC)Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop,(617) 884-6130http://www.capicinc.org/Eng/E_FuelAssistance.html
Community Action, Inc. (CAI)Amesbury, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury,978-373-1971https://www.communityactioninc.org/programs/fuel-energy
Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI)Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lexington, Lowell, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Waltham, Watertown, Westford, Wilmington,978.459.6161http://www.commteam.org/how-we-help/housing-utilities/liheap/
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. (GLCAC)Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, North Reading, Reading,(978) 681-4900https://www.glcac.org/departments/LIHEAP-Fuel-Assistance.html
Lynn Economic Opportunity, Inc. (LEO)Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus, Swampscott, Wakefield,(781) 581-7220https://www.leoinc.org/heat
New England Farm Workers Council, Inc. (NEFWC)Springfield,(413) 272-2209http://www.partnersforcommunity.org/default/index.cfm/fuel-assistance/
New England Farm Workers Council, Inc. (NEFWC)Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, New Braintree, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, Winchendon,(978) 342-4520http://www.partnersforcommunity.org/default/index.cfm/fuel-assistance/
North Shore Community Action Program, Inc. (NSCAP)Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody, Salem, Topsfield,(978) 531-0767http://www.nscap.org/03_our_programs/Energy%20Services/fuel_assistance.html
People Acting in Community Endeavors, Inc. (PACE)Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, New Bedford, Rochester,(508) 999-9920http://paceinfo.org/programs-2/fuel-assistance-program/
Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP)Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth,617-657-5301http://www.qcap.org/Our-Programs/Energy-Programs/Fuel-Assistance
Self-Help, Inc. (SHI)Abington, Attleboro, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Franklin, Hanson, Holbrook, Mansfield, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Norwood, Plainville, Randolph, Raynham, Rockland, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Whitman, Wrentham,(508) 588-0447http://www.selfhelpinc.org/services/fuel-assistance
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC)Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Boxboro, Concord, Dover, Framingham, Grafton, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Norwood, Sherborn, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Upton, Uxbridge, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough,508.620.2342 or 508.620.1230http://www.smoc.org/smoc-fuel-assistance.php
South Shore Community Action Council, Inc. (SSCAC)Aquinnah, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Carver, Chatham, Chilmark, Cohasset, Dennis, Duxbury, Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gosnold, Halifax, Hanover, Harwich, Harwich Port, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Mashpee, Middleboro, Nantucket, Norwell, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Provincetown, Sandwich, Scituate, South Chatham, South Falmouth, Tisbury, Truro, Wareham, Wellfleet, West Chatham, West Harwich, West Tisbury, West Wareham, West Yarmouth, Woods Hole, Yarmouth, Yarmouthport,877.FUEL.AID or 508.746.6707http://www.sscac.org/fuel_assistance/index.html
Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. (VOC)Agawam, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granville, Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russell, Southwick, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham,(413) 552-1554https://www.valleyopp.com/energy-assistance/fuel-assistance
Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC)Auburn, Boylston, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, North Brookfield, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Worcester,(508) 754-1176http://www.wcac.net/fuel-assistance/

Show all fuel assistance locations

What Other Cold Relief Programs are Available?

There are also programs for Weatherization Assistance (WAP) to help reduce the energy costs in your home and for Heating System Repair and Replacement (HEARTWAP) to help with problems with your heating system. Your Fuel Assistance Application also serves as an application for the Weatherization program and the Heating System Repair and Replacement Program.  The agency near you can help with you these programs as well.

For more information about Cold Relief, call the Cold Relief Heatline 1-800-632-8175 or click here.

Additional Resources

For utility company problems, please call the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) at 1-877-886-5066. Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

For limited income households who are not eligible for fuel assistance, please contact The Good Neighbor Energy Fund operated by your local Salvation Army:
In area codes 617, 508, 781, or 978: 1-800-334-3047
In area code 413: 1-800-262-1320

Mass 2-1-1: For non-emergency social service programs, dial 211

MASS SAVE also provides help with energy costs and assessments.

Need more help?

Contact your Community Action Agency.

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