Deadline for fuel aid extended to May 15

BOSTON – Massachusetts residents have until May 15 to apply for fuel assistance to help pay their utility heating bills and avoid shut-off.

“We are worried that natural gas and electric customers who have run up enormous heating bills this winter will miss out on financial help they are entitled to and have their utilities shut down,” Drew said. “Our doors are open and we can help eligible families and seniors.”
In addition, residents who heat with fuel oil or propane may still be eligible for assistance. Any resident struggling with a high heating bill, whether for oil, gas or electric should contact the ABCD Fuel Assistance program immediately to find out if they qualify.

Seniors and families who have received shut-off notices from electric and gas companies for unpaid heating bills may qualify for financial assistance from Action for Boston Community Development’s Fuel Assistance program.
“This has been a brutal winter and everyone has seen increasingly high heating bills. Electric rates are up more than 30 percent,” said John J. Drew, ABCD President/CEO. “While there has been a lot of news coverage about families struggling to pay for heating oil, spring is the time when the other shoe drops. The winter moratorium on utility shut-downs ended April 1 and those with high balances on their bills are at risk of getting their utilities cut off, setting the stage for devastating situations for low-income working families and older residents.”
A family of four with an income below $23,850 is entitled to $1,095 in fuel aid. Sliding scale eligibility makes it possible for a family of four with an income of $62,727 or a single person with an income of $32,618 to receive $660 toward their heating bills. An income eligibility chart is attached.
ABCD’s Fuel Assistance program serves Boston, Brookline, Newton, Malden, Medford, Everett and surrounding communities. Applications for fuel assistance and information on all its energy programs are available at ABCD’s downtown office and any of its Neighborhood Service Centers, or by calling the ABCD Fuel Assistance Hotline at 617-357-6012. Information is also available at the ABCD website: www.bostonabcd.org. For a list of ABCD neighborhood locations please visit: http://www.bostonabcd.org/service-centers.aspx

About ABCD:
ABCD serves more than 100,000 low-income Boston-area residents annually through its central offices and a decentralized network of Neighborhood Service Centers (NSCs), Head Start centers, Family Planning sites and Foster Grandparent sites. Programs and affiliations include Fuel Assistance; Head Start; Child Care Services; Child Care Choices of Boston; Education; Career Development; Housing and Homelessness Services; Health Services; Family Planning; Urban College of Boston; University High – an Alternative High School; Ostiguy High School for high school students in recovery; Weatherization; Foster Grandparents; Elder Services; Intergenerational Programs; management of the Combined Federal Campaign, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Boston employee giving campaigns; advocacy and consumer services.