Do you need help paying your winter fuel bill? Call the Lincoln Council on Aging, which can help you apply for funds from the Massachusetts Fuel Assistance Program.
The program provides a cash benefit, payable to an authorized fuel provider, for both home owners and renters with eligible incomes. How much you receive depends on your household income, how many people you have in your household, and your heating costs.
Regardless of age, residents must apply for Fuel Assistance Program aid through the Council on Aging (COA), whose staff will help with filling out forms. To apply, call Pam Alberts at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council will review the application to determine whether you are eligible.
Even if you’re not sure whether you qualify for the Fuel Assistance Program, “give us a call anyway, because even if you’re not eligible, there are other programs that we may be able to hook you up with,” said Carolyn Bottum, director of the COA. These other state programs offer heating system repairs, discount utility rates, and Citizens Energy heat assistance, and weatherization services.
Lincoln assistance also available
For other types of unforeseen financial emergencies, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund and the Small Necessities Project can help. The Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund, which is funded entirely by donations, provides assistance of up to $500 per lifetime for Lincoln residents in situations when that amount will allow someone to stay in our community.
The Small Necessities Project can provide immediate help if a resident has no food in the house, needs emergency medication, needs a night or two of lodging due to a fire or flood, or has a similar problem. This Project is funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and donations.
For more information or to ask for assistance from any of these programs,call Pam Alberts at the COA at 781-259-8811.
