Enrollment Now Open for Home Energy Assistance Program
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities announced that the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) enrollment period for the 2024-2025 winter heating season opened on October 1. This critical program provides financial relief to eligible households to help them pay their winter heating bills, ensuring they can keep their homes safe and warm during the colder months.
HEAP is a free, statewide resource that assists eligible renters and homeowners by paying a portion of their winter heating bills directly to their heating companies. Homeowners and renters can apply online or through local administering agencies across the state. The assistance period runs, to April 30, 2025. HEAP offers grants that do not need to be repaid; however, households must meet specific eligibility requirements to qualify.
“No resident should have to worry about heating their home during the winter,” said Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus. “With high costs continuing to strain household finances, the Home Energy Assistance Program is more critical than ever. We urge anyone in need of heating assistance to explore their eligibility by applying online or visiting the nearest administering agency. Please share this valuable information with loved ones or neighbors who could benefit from this support during the colder months.”
Eligibility is determined by several factors, including household size and the combined gross annual income of residents 18 and older. Qualifying households, including those with the cost of heat included in the rent, can receive assistance for all heating sources, including oil, electricity, natural gas, propane, kerosene, wood and coal. Households do not need to be on public assistance or have unpaid heating bills to qualify.
Massachusetts declares “critical” drought as wildfires flare
Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared a Level 3-Critical Drought in Massachusetts’s Central and Northeast regions, including the Charles River watershed. This marks a significant escalation from the Level 1-Mild Drought status issued on October 11. The state has experienced over three months of below-normal rainfall, exacerbating drought conditions and causing riverbeds in some areas to run dry.
Streamflow in the Charles River is at critically low levels, with some sections showing zero flow. Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) continues to monitor conditions closely in partnership with state agencies.
“Climate change is driving more frequent and severe droughts, yet even in the face of these extreme conditions, the state lacks the authority to mandate outdoor watering restrictions—it can only recommend them,” said Cabell Eames, Advocacy Director for Charles River Watershed Association. “Water doesn’t respect municipal boundaries, so why should it be up to individual towns to decide how to manage water use during droughts? The Drought Management bill would allow the state to enforce outdoor watering restrictions at the regional level during declared droughts, ensuring consistency, fairness, and better protection for our rivers and water supplies.”
“People usually think of droughts as a summer occurrence; to have this scale of drought, which intensified rapidly, happen in November, is the latest example of our changing climate,” said Mass Rivers Alliance Policy Director Katharine Lange. “Across the state right now, sections of rivers and streams are dried up, unable to support aquatic life. In order to protect these resources, some of the most valued parts of our community, our laws, regulations, and culture have to catch up to the pace of climate change. During a drought, we do have some agency in supporting our waterways through water conservation, particularly through reducing outdoor watering. Our top legislative priority, the Drought Management bill, would scale up our approach to water conservation, replacing a town-by-town patchwork response with regional coordination.”
As wildfires continue to burn across the state, a ban on nonessential outdoor water use is now in effect for the Charles River watershed. Massachusetts residents are urged to visit the Mass.gov Drought Monitoring webpage for updates on drought conditions and guidelines on water conservation.
NSCS Seeks Volunteers for Human Rights Advisory Board
North Suffolk Community Services (NSCS), a nonprofit organization that supports adults, children and families across the lifespan who are coping with behavioral health, substance use disorders and/or developmental disabilities, is seeking volunteers to serve on its Human Rights Committee Advisory Board. The board, which meets virtually 6 times per year and conducts one site visit per month, helps ensure that NSCS programs promote and protect the rights of all people receiving services from the organization. NSCS serves Chelsea, East Boston, Revere, Charlestown, Winthrop and more. NSCS seeks volunteers with the following experience: psychiatric physician or nurse; lawyer or paralegal; clinician; self-advocate/lived experience; family member of person served. For more information, please call 617-912-7716 or email [email protected]. Learn about NSCS at northsuffolk.org.