As recent federal shutdown made bad situations worse for Mass residents reliant on the Home Energy Assistance Program
BOSTON – It’s effortless for Everett resident Luke Charles Farrell to recall the exact day his basketball career at the University of Alabama came to a halt. On Dec. 15, 1996, Farrell lost vision in his left eye when a fellow athlete elbowed Farrell’s face while attempting a slam dunk. He was forced to medically withdraw from school and underwent six eye operations. The now 52-year-old lives on a fixed income and is among 300,000 Massachusetts locals who rely on the Home Energy Assistance Program to afford his winter heating bills.
“As a homeowner, heating bills during the wintertime can run anywhere from three to 500 a month,” Farrell said. “Without the program, I’d be homeless. It has been life changing for me.”
In 2013, a friend introduced Farrell to the Action for Boston Community Development, one of several Massachusetts-based nonprofits that administers HEAP since the federal government launched it in 1981. ABCD’s initiative serves more than 24,000 low income, elderly and disabled homeowners and renters each year in Boston, Brookline, Newton, Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester and Woburn.
HEAP benefits span from Nov. 1 to April 30 each year, but the 2025 federal shutdown postponed this year’s application season until the end of November. Many HEAP applicants found themselves choosing between groceries, medicine and heat during this delay.
An example is Brenda Saucer, an ABCD client and a former phlebotomist from Dorchester, who depends on HEAP after developing a chronic medical condition. “It’s a difference between surviving the winter and actually feeling safe in your own house,” Saucer said during a news conference at the State House on Nov. 20.
Roughly 82% of U.S. homes that use fuel oil are in the Northeast, according to the Energy Information Administration. Although Massachusetts prohibits utilities from shutting off peoples’ gas or electricity service during the winter, no moratorium exists for low-income communities who depend on fuel oil. This means they will have no heat If they can’t manage to fill their tanks.
With the resumption of benefits, President and CEO of ABCD Sharon Scott-Chandler encourages vulnerable communities to apply because the absence of heat is a major health and safety risk. Those who lack fuel assistance may resort to opening oven doors and plugging in portable space heaters to keep warm. These hazardous measures can lead to fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
“We’d like to get the word out to make sure that people during these cold days are really looking for every resource they can,” she said. “The health of babies and seniors can be impacted by the cold. Tragedy can occur when people are cold and unable to heat their homes.”
Besides physical danger, Farrell added that a person’s mental health can decline due to a shortage of heating assistance. “This program is essential to keep a quality of life and a sense of well being,” Farrell said. “If you can’t pay the bills, it affects your mental health. ‘How am I going to pay for this?’ ‘How am I going to pay for that?’”
Due to overall inflation, Scott-Chandler has noticed a significant rise in the amount of assistance Massachusetts residents need each year. Grocery prices are up nearly 30% in 5 years. Boston’s average rent in 2025 was $3,043. “What we’re really seeing is double or triple the amount of [an increasing demand] to help people out. People have basic needs that they can’t meet,” Scott-Chandler said.
To qualify for HEAP in Massachusetts, a household must make no more than 60% of the state median income. Depending on the household’s heating source and income, aid typically begins at about $350-$600 for the year.
Scott-Chandler stressed that affected residents should seek succor even if they presume others may need it more because eligibility is generous. “The way that the program works is they set aside enough money for everyone who’s eligible,” she said. “You’re not taking it from anybody else because each person can only get a certain benefit level.”
Residents can apply via online, in-person, or over the phone. ABCD also partners with other community organizations throughout Massachusetts to spread the word. “We try to make it as easy as possible for everyone,” Scott-Chandler said. “Those who can’t get out of their homes. Those who don’t have access to technology.”