Yesterday the Patrick/Murray Administration announced an increase in critically needed funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), increasing the maximum benefit to help low-income residents in Massachusetts heat their homes this winter.

The Commonwealth is expected to receive an additional federal funding increase in the coming weeks that will bring the total Massachusetts allocation to $132.7 million. Given this expected increase, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has increased benefit levels; the maximum benefit level for the most vulnerable has increased from $675 for heating oil or other deliverable fuels to $1,025; and from $275 for utilities to $525. Even with these increases, total funding levels for the Commonwealth are expected to represent an approximate 28% cut in funding from last year’s allocation

Read the full statement here.

Locally – Community Teamwork Inc. (CTI) serves the communities of Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lexington, Lowell, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Waltham, Watertown, Westford, Wilmington for LIHEAP and other Energy programs. Link to CTI’s webpage here.