Copyright hoodline
As the temperature drops, the heat goes up — politically speaking, that is. The Healey-Driscoll Administration has issued a stark warning to Massachusetts residents, alerting them to the chilling fact that the vital heating assistance they rely upon in winter is now left in limbo due to a federal government shutdown spearheaded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans, as reported by mass.gov. With the onset of November, the Massachusetts Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which normally serves over 150,000 households, is unable to provide funds for thousands of families because the shutdown has frozen federal financial aid. The situation is dire, yet the state administration is not sitting on its hands; Governor Maura Healey has declared that $13 million in remaining federal HEAP funds from the last year will be directed toward households in immediate danger of losing their heat, these situations are considered emergencies when residents are without any heat, when they receive an ultimatum from utility companies, have less than 1/8 of a tank of oil, or possess under a three-day supply of other deliverable fuels. Those hitting the panic button on their thermometers need to reach out to their Local Administering Agency pronto to get in line for assistance, according to the announcement from her office. "Millions of people, including seniors and young children, across the country depend on federal heating assistance to help keep their homes warm during the wintertime," Governor Healey remarked, holding the shutdown accountable for the cutoff in funding and stressing the urgency for the federal government to thaw the freeze and resume operations, a sentiment echoed by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, who highlighted the undue choice being foisted upon vulnerable populations like elderly individuals on fixed incomes and children faced with the bleak prospect of a cold home, as stated on mass.gov. Ed Augustus, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, has affirmed the commitment to helping out those with critical needs as winter bears down but has reiterated that Congress and President Trump need to act swiftly to get government gears grinding again and secure funding, to continue where last heating season, HEAP helped more than 159,000 households stay warm, 54 percent of which included seniors on a fixed income and approximately 11 percent were families with children under 6, as was pointed out by mass.gov. While the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities scrambles to coordinate with local agencies to help families on a pinch-hit basis, they are urging federal officials to end the standoff and release the much-needed HEAP funds, which last season stood at $144 million for Massachusetts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information about the HEAP program and how to apply for assistance is available on their website.
