Keep Warm in Massachusetts

Need help paying your heating bills?

IMPORTANT COVID-19 ADJUSTMENT TO OPERATIONS

All Fuel Assistance Agencies are waiving the face to face requirement to apply. All are taking applications over the phone. Online applications will be available beginning in October.

New applicants welcome. Scroll down to find your agency.

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 Home Energy Assistance Program (also commonly referred to as Fuel Assistance, and more formally known as LIHEAP – the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).

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

Household Size	Gross Annual Income	4 Week Gross Income (if paid once per month)	4 Week Gross Incom (if paid weekly or bi-weekly)
1	$40,951	$3,412	$3,150
2	$53,551	$4,462	$4,119
3	$66,151	$5,512	$5,088
4	$78,751	$6,562	$6,057
5	$91,351	$7,612	$7,027
6	$103,951	$8,662	$7,996
7	$106,314	$8,859	$8,178
8	$108,676	$9,056	$8,359

Where Should I Apply?

At the Fuel Assistance Agency in your Area Heating Help: Massachusetts Fuel Assistance & Energy Efficiency ()

Name: Heating Help: Massachusetts Fuel Assistance & Energy Efficiency ()
Cities Served:
Phone:
URL:

Name	City	Phone Number	Website
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD)	Boston, Brookline, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Stoneham, West Roxbury, Winchester, Woburn,	617.357.6012	https://bostonabcd.org/service/fuel-assistance-2/
Action, Inc. (Action)	Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester, Rockport, Wenham,	978-281-3900	https://actioninc.org/energy/fuel-assistance/
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) 445-4503	https://bcacinc.org/fuel-assistance/
Citizens for Citizens, Inc. (CFC)	Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Westport,	(508) 679-0041	http://cfcinc.org/programs/fuel-assistance-program/
City of Cambridge, Department of Human Services (DHSP)	Cambridge, Somerville,	(617) 349-6252	http://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,	413-774-2310	https://www.communityaction.us/fuel-assistance
Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC)	Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop,	(617) 884-6130	http://www.capicinc.org/Eng/E_FuelAssistance.html
Community Action, Inc. (CAI)	Amesbury, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury,	978-373-1971	https://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,	978.459.6161	http://www.commteam.org/how-we-help/housing-utilities/liheap/
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. (GLCAC)	Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, North Reading, Reading,	(978) 681-4900	https://www.glcac.org/departments/LIHEAP-Fuel-Assistance.html
LEO, Inc. (LEO)	Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus, Swampscott, Wakefield,	781.309.5639	https://leoinc.org/services/fuel-assistance-home-heating/
New England Farm Workers Council, Inc. (NEFWC)	Springfield,	(413) 272-2209	http://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) 342-4520	http://www.partnersforcommunity.org/default/index.cfm/fuel-assistance/
North Shore Community Action Program, Inc. (NSCAP)	Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody, Salem, Topsfield,	(978) 531-0767	https://www.nscap.org/our-programs/fuel-assistance/
People Acting in Community Endeavors, Inc. (PACE)	Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, New Bedford, Rochester,	508-525-4271	http://paceinfo.org/programs-2/fuel-assistance-program/
Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP)	Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth,	617-657-5301	https://www.qcap.org/our-programs/energy-programs/
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,	508-588-5440	https://selfhelpinc.org/program-services/fuel-energy/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,	508-620-1230	http://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,	508-746-6707	http://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) 552-1554	https://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) 754-1176	http://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.