Governor Announces Federal Heating Assistance Funding is Now Available
BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey announced that the Trump Administration has released federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
After more than a month's delay, the federal funding was released, and all applications can now be processed, stated a press release.
"For more than a month, President Trump has forced American families to wait in the cold," said Governor Healey. "As we hit cold winter weather, we are relieved that funds are finally flowing now, and families can apply for help heating their homes. Our team has worked to make this funding available immediately, because our families cannot afford to wait. I'm grateful to Secretary Augustus and the team at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities for taking the necessary steps to ensure we were prepared to get the program started again as soon as the federal funding was made available."
LIHEAP is a federal program, referred to as the Massachusetts Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) in Massachusetts, that typically helps more than 150,000 Massachusetts households, representing over 300,000 people, afford to heat their homes during the winter each year. This federal funding usually becomes available in early November, but it was delayed due to the federal government shutdown.
Even after the government reopened on November 13, it took the Trump Administration nearly three weeks to release funding.
During the pause, the Healey-Driscoll Administration utilized leftover federal funding from last year to support households with a heating emergency. The Department of Public Utilities also extended its shut-off moratorium to October 27, 2025 – April 1, 2026.
