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11-21-2025 1:35pm
Massachusetts Residents Await LIHEAP Heating Aid as Governor Healey Calls Delay Unacceptable
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The federal government shutdown has ended, but utility customers who depend on the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) to pay heating bills may not receive that assistance until the end of the month, said Governor Maura Healey on Thursday, November 20th, as she urged the Trump Administration in a letter to immediately release federal funding and called the delay "unacceptable."
“Every year, thousands of low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities struggle to afford to heat their homes during New England’s bitter cold winters,” said Governor Healey.
“LIHEAP serves as a crucial lifeline for Massachusetts families and people across the country. It's bad enough that the Trump Administration shut off funding for heating assistance, SNAP, Head Start and other essential safety net programs that people rely on during the shutdown. But now, with the government reopened, they are telling us that it’ll [be] more time to get LIHEAP funding flowing again," said Governor Healey, referencing the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that is referred to as HEAP in Massachusetts.
"This is unacceptable, especially as the holidays approach and temperatures continue to plummet. President Trump needs to immediately release LIHEAP funding and not leave our families out in the cold," she said.
This federal funding usually becomes available in early November, but it was delayed due to the federal government shutdown. According to the National Propane Gas Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently informed grant recipients and stakeholders that the target date for fund disbursement is December 1st. Although the federal government shutdown ended on November 12, 2025, WCVB reports that it can take weeks for the federal government to calculate how much to award each state.
While Massachusetts awaits the release of federal funding, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has been using leftover federal funding from last year to support households with a heating emergency. The state defines heating emergencies as including having no heat, receiving a termination notice from a utility, having less than 1/8 of a tank of oil, or having less than three days’ supply of other deliverable fuels. The governor urges families experiencing a heating emergency to immediately contact their Local Administering Agency to apply for heating assistance.
This winter, also in response to the shutdown, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) expanded the seasonal shut-off moratorium, which prevents major gas and electric companies from terminating heating service to their customers in some situations. Typically, the moratorium applies from mid-November to mid-March. This year, the shut-off moratorium began on October 27, 2025, and will end on April 1, 2026. Under the moratorium, utility companies cannot shut off heating service to residents who demonstrate they are experiencing financial hardship. Any customer experiencing financial hardship should contact their utility to learn about the additional assistance programs offered such as budget billing and extended payment plans to make utility bills more manageable.
Additionally, local assistance is available from organizations like Westwood Community Chest, which provides confidential, temporary grant assistance for Westwood residents who are struggling with costs, including utility payments, and need a helping hand.
Organizations like Westwood Food Pantry, which supports Westwood residents experiencing temporary or long-term food insecurity, can provide assistance with access to food, potentially freeing up household resources for other costs, including utility payments.
According to the governor's office, LIHEAP typically helps more than 150,000 Massachusetts households, representing over 300,000 people, afford to heat their homes during the winter each year. During the 2024-2025 heating season, the Massachusetts Home Energy Assistance Program provided over 159,000 Massachusetts households with financial assistance to heat their homes through the winter. The majority of those households, 54 percent, were seniors on a fixed income and approximately 11 percent of the households assisted have children under the age of 6.
Thanks to the Office of Governor Maura T. Healey and Lt. Governor Kimberley Driscoll for contributing news for this Westwood Minute article.
