November 2, 2024 • 13 mins
While the weather in recent days has been incredibly warm, even record-breaking at times, winter is coming sooner than later. Experts say now is the time to get your heating system ready and make repairs, but what if money is tight and you're worried about paying for your heating bills? Enter the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, which offers much more than just financial assistance to families in need. Beth Ann Strollo, CEO of Quincy Community Action Programs, breaks down the details with Nichole this week.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each week we come together right here we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is so good to be
back with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. So
you know, we're right in the middle of that part
of fall in New England where you never really know
when you wake up what exactly you have to wear,
(00:28):
because one day it could be eighty like we saw
this past week, and the next it's like forty and
you have to put on a bunch of layers. Soon enough, though,
even if it is a bit more mild than it
used to be when we were kids, Winter is coming
and experts say now is the time to check your
heating system, dust it off, make sure it's working, fill
up the oil tank and get the repairs done. That
(00:49):
being said, many of us are struggling to pay the
bills right now at the grocery store, the mortgage, student loans,
you name it. Even your utilities might already be too expensive.
Beth Anstroll is here to tell us about a program
that is right now taking applications to get your relief.
If you needed make sure you stay warm for the winter.
Bet then thank you for being here. You are the
(01:09):
CEO over at Quinsy Community Action Programs. What is all
that about?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Quincy Community Action is the community action agency serving Quinsy, Braintree,
Weymouth and Milton for all of our programs, and we
have a range of other programs that goes to many
more communities, but our core services focus on helping low
income and moderate income residents throughout those communities, including things
(01:36):
like energy assistants, head start, early education and care, childcare resources,
and childcare vouchers. We have the community center with the
food pantry and an adult education, free tax preparation program,
and housing program that helps people prevent help. We help
(01:59):
families prevent homelessness and help with home ownership counseling as well.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Obviously a lot of people are struggling right now. We've
been talking in the news pretty consistently about inflation, high
prices at the grocery store. I don't think any of
us can really afford going grocery shopping right now. One
out of three adults here in Massachusetts are food insecure.
Tell me about the impact that you're seeing over there
at your program.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, yes, I think food insecurity has actually been an
issue for a very long time, not just because of
the high prices that we are seeing right now. Many
people for years have needed to come to food pantries
for help. I think it got a lot of attention
during COVID and people started looking at how many people
actually came to food pantries, and that number has only
(02:49):
increased since the pandemic, which you know is a little bit, yes,
and part due to the high price of food, but
it's all so because I think there has been greater
awareness to letting people know that food pantries are out
there to help you supplement your food supply during any
(03:12):
given month. And so we do a lot of work
in that area and provide not only food to people,
but also we help them get on SNAP, the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance program that helps people receive that assistance so
that they can go to the grocery store and use
(03:33):
that SNAP benefit to buy what they need and based
upon their family's needs.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well, even as we make our way into the colder months,
I mean, it's going to be eighty here on Halloween,
so it's probably not the best example, right It kind
of bizarre, but that's New England for you. But as
we make our way into the colder months, it might
be the case where many families find themselves saying, Okay,
I want to keep warm and I need to pay
the energy bills, which energy prices are certainly not low
(04:02):
at this point either. But I feel like many families
right now are finding themselves having to choose between two basics,
food and energy, or rent and energy, or rent and food.
Tell me about the struggle that many families deal with
when it comes to that.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's a constant struggle and again has been a struggle
for so many families for years, and that is what
it comes down to, or you know, food or buying
their medication, or heat or buying their medication. It is
something that people who live on low incomes have to
(04:36):
manage every penny so carefully. So this fuel assistance program
is a great resource for people. And it doesn't matter
that it is warm out right now. It's very deceptive.
We all know that in a month, or maybe in
a week or two weeks, it will be cold. We've
had some cold nights so far, and we encourage everyb
(05:00):
body to come in and apply as soon as they
possibly can. The sooner you come in and apply the quicker,
your benefit will be established and you will start getting
the resource. And we know that despite this incredibly beautiful
weather right now, that November will get cold, December will
(05:20):
be colder, and January will be even colder. So we
encourage everyone to come in sooner than later so that
they can sign up for the service.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah, let's talk about the service itself. It's called the
Home Energy Assistance Program HEAP for short. And while this
enrollment period is open, the benefits start on November first.
What is the benefit exactly that anybody who is qualified
for this will receive when it comes to heating and
energy and all that.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So there are multiple benefits. Actually, the main benefit is
that a residence will receive a free I don't want
to call it a grant. It's not that form, but
an amount of money that will help pay their heating bill,
whether they have an oil vendor, or they get heat
(06:10):
through their utility company through gas or electric, or even
if they have pro pain or another source of heat.
It applies to all sources of heat and once you
are determined eligible, it will pay a portion of your
heating cost from November one through April thirty and that
(06:32):
amount paid depends upon the final allocation that comes to
us from the federal government. This is primarily money from
health and Human services and it's a great resource that
has existed for many years. So you come in and apply,
and you do have to provide information about your income
(06:54):
the number of people in your household, but you will
get this benefit at no cost to you. And in
addition to receiving assistance with the heat, if you are eligible,
it automatically qualifies you for a discount with your utility
company as long as it's one of the eligible investor
(07:15):
owned utilities. If you will, and you can get a
discount of up to thirty five percent on your electric
or gas bill for your lights and running your appliances
in your home, and you know, well beyond your heat bills.
So this is a great resource that has multiple benefits.
(07:38):
And the other benefit, which is a tremendous benefit, is
that it will qualify you to have an energy audit,
a free energy audit done in your home and determine
if you can benefit from weatherization services, and then we
will do the weatherization services and look at your heating system.
If your heating system is old, or we can replace
(08:02):
your heating system and also repair it. If it's you know,
only needs a repair, we can do that and then
sign you up for clean and tune over the summer.
So there are just multiple benefits that are added to this,
not just the assistance with your heating billow and that's
(08:23):
something that a lot of people don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, definitely, I was not aware of a lot of
these benefits. And you know, does this apply to just
homeowners or say somebody is listening who rents or they're subletting,
can they take advantage of this as well?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Renters can take advantage of it. We have procedures in
place that if we work with the landlord and make
sure the renter has a stable tendency with the landlord
and if all the qualifications are there, then yes, we
do go in and assist with individuals who rent as well.
(08:58):
They definitely get the count on their utility bills the tenants,
that's for sure. The weatherization and heating system replacement, we
look closely at the situation and determine. But we assist
many renters with that service, and it's very helpful because
many renters are renting for a period of time, and
(09:20):
they need to make sure the heating system works properly.
And the more efficient it is, the lower the heating
bill is. So that's the connection between those services.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah, it's a win win for everybody. It's a win
win for the homeowner. It's a win win for the
renter who's actually going to be able to pay the
heating utilities and make sure they've got enough to get
through the winter and even have some on the side
to maybe buy some warm, tasty food to make sure
they get through in a couple of treats. It really
is hopeful all around.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Absolutely some things it is How can people then get
in touch with your program to learn more about HEAP
and all the options they have, even if they're not
in the Quinsy area.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
How should people get a hold of you or others
to sign up for this?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Well, there are about twenty agencies across the commonwealth who
provide the service. Every community in the state of Massachusetts
receives can receive this service, and if they look online
at to apply dot org slash mass heap, they will
(10:27):
they will be able to find their local agency or
if they go to mass cap that is another website.
M A. S. Scap dot org. They will be able
to click around and find the link to the agencies
and people should call their all the Councils on Aging
(10:48):
know the For many seniors who take take advantage of
this benefit, they can call the Council on Aging in
their community. The Council on agents are a great resource
for this service and help assist many elderly people connecting
them to the heat agencies to get assistants.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
All right, and do you have to have a lot
of information or documentation to apply for this or just
the basics like ID and your heating bills.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
No, you do have to provide your income information to
make sure that you are income eligible. So there are
a list of things that you have to provide in
addition to the heating bills are actually the least concerning.
We connect directly with the oil vendors and with the
utility companies and automatically connect that. The most important thing
(11:42):
is they provide the income information that each agency will
detail out for them and they will see that on
the online on the online portal. If for those who
are comfortable, you know, going onto an online portal, they
will see all the details about that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
When it comes to people in the Quinsy area who
might be able to benefit not just from HEAP and
the assistance here, but all the other programs you've got
going on. How can they get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Well, they can go onto our website, which is QCAP
dot org, or they can call and make an appointment
with us, and the phone number that they should call
is six one seven six five seven five three oh one,
(12:30):
and that will get them directly to our energy department
and they will take it from there and we will
process their application. It's a busy time of year for us,
for all of the HEAP agencies. It gets busier as
it gets colder. So that is the reason we encourage
everyone to call early before we uh, before it gets
(12:52):
really cold, and then we have thousands of people calling
to get help. And you're we will get to everybody eventually,
but we encourage everyone to know to be patient with
us as we process those applications and take everybody's calls.
But it's a great resource, and as I was saying,
(13:13):
connects people to so many things beyond just that heating assistance.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Yeah, it's better to get it done, get it over with,
so you can enjoy the fall and winter months, you
don't have to think about it and make sure you
can get it taken care of as well. We'll bet Van.
Thank you so much for your time and it's been
great to have you on the show and all the
best as you make you way through the winter months.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Thank you so much. You're very welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each week we come together right here we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is so good to be
back with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis. So
you know, we're right in the middle of that part
of fall in New England where you never really know
when you wake up what exactly you have to wear,
(00:28):
because one day it could be eighty like we saw
this past week, and the next it's like forty and
you have to put on a bunch of layers. Soon enough, though,
even if it is a bit more mild than it
used to be when we were kids, Winter is coming
and experts say now is the time to check your
heating system, dust it off, make sure it's working, fill
up the oil tank and get the repairs done. That
(00:49):
being said, many of us are struggling to pay the
bills right now at the grocery store, the mortgage, student loans,
you name it. Even your utilities might already be too expensive.
Beth Anstroll is here to tell us about a program
that is right now taking applications to get your relief.
If you needed make sure you stay warm for the winter.
Bet then thank you for being here. You are the
(01:09):
CEO over at Quinsy Community Action Programs. What is all
that about?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Quincy Community Action is the community action agency serving Quinsy, Braintree,
Weymouth and Milton for all of our programs, and we
have a range of other programs that goes to many
more communities, but our core services focus on helping low
income and moderate income residents throughout those communities, including things
(01:36):
like energy assistants, head start, early education and care, childcare resources,
and childcare vouchers. We have the community center with the
food pantry and an adult education, free tax preparation program,
and housing program that helps people prevent help. We help
(01:59):
families prevent homelessness and help with home ownership counseling as well.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Obviously a lot of people are struggling right now. We've
been talking in the news pretty consistently about inflation, high
prices at the grocery store. I don't think any of
us can really afford going grocery shopping right now. One
out of three adults here in Massachusetts are food insecure.
Tell me about the impact that you're seeing over there
at your program.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, yes, I think food insecurity has actually been an
issue for a very long time, not just because of
the high prices that we are seeing right now. Many
people for years have needed to come to food pantries
for help. I think it got a lot of attention
during COVID and people started looking at how many people
actually came to food pantries, and that number has only
(02:49):
increased since the pandemic, which you know is a little bit, yes,
and part due to the high price of food, but
it's all so because I think there has been greater
awareness to letting people know that food pantries are out
there to help you supplement your food supply during any
(03:12):
given month. And so we do a lot of work
in that area and provide not only food to people,
but also we help them get on SNAP, the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance program that helps people receive that assistance so
that they can go to the grocery store and use
(03:33):
that SNAP benefit to buy what they need and based
upon their family's needs.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Well, even as we make our way into the colder months,
I mean, it's going to be eighty here on Halloween,
so it's probably not the best example, right It kind
of bizarre, but that's New England for you. But as
we make our way into the colder months, it might
be the case where many families find themselves saying, Okay,
I want to keep warm and I need to pay
the energy bills, which energy prices are certainly not low
(04:02):
at this point either. But I feel like many families
right now are finding themselves having to choose between two basics,
food and energy, or rent and energy, or rent and food.
Tell me about the struggle that many families deal with
when it comes to that.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It's a constant struggle and again has been a struggle
for so many families for years, and that is what
it comes down to, or you know, food or buying
their medication, or heat or buying their medication. It is
something that people who live on low incomes have to
(04:36):
manage every penny so carefully. So this fuel assistance program
is a great resource for people. And it doesn't matter
that it is warm out right now. It's very deceptive.
We all know that in a month, or maybe in
a week or two weeks, it will be cold. We've
had some cold nights so far, and we encourage everyb
(05:00):
body to come in and apply as soon as they
possibly can. The sooner you come in and apply the quicker,
your benefit will be established and you will start getting
the resource. And we know that despite this incredibly beautiful
weather right now, that November will get cold, December will
(05:20):
be colder, and January will be even colder. So we
encourage everyone to come in sooner than later so that
they can sign up for the service.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah, let's talk about the service itself. It's called the
Home Energy Assistance Program HEAP for short. And while this
enrollment period is open, the benefits start on November first.
What is the benefit exactly that anybody who is qualified
for this will receive when it comes to heating and
energy and all that.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So there are multiple benefits. Actually, the main benefit is
that a residence will receive a free I don't want
to call it a grant. It's not that form, but
an amount of money that will help pay their heating bill,
whether they have an oil vendor, or they get heat
(06:10):
through their utility company through gas or electric, or even
if they have pro pain or another source of heat.
It applies to all sources of heat and once you
are determined eligible, it will pay a portion of your
heating cost from November one through April thirty and that
(06:32):
amount paid depends upon the final allocation that comes to
us from the federal government. This is primarily money from
health and Human services and it's a great resource that
has existed for many years. So you come in and apply,
and you do have to provide information about your income
(06:54):
the number of people in your household, but you will
get this benefit at no cost to you. And in
addition to receiving assistance with the heat, if you are eligible,
it automatically qualifies you for a discount with your utility
company as long as it's one of the eligible investor
(07:15):
owned utilities. If you will, and you can get a
discount of up to thirty five percent on your electric
or gas bill for your lights and running your appliances
in your home, and you know, well beyond your heat bills.
So this is a great resource that has multiple benefits.
(07:38):
And the other benefit, which is a tremendous benefit, is
that it will qualify you to have an energy audit,
a free energy audit done in your home and determine
if you can benefit from weatherization services, and then we
will do the weatherization services and look at your heating system.
If your heating system is old, or we can replace
(08:02):
your heating system and also repair it. If it's you know,
only needs a repair, we can do that and then
sign you up for clean and tune over the summer.
So there are just multiple benefits that are added to this,
not just the assistance with your heating billow and that's
(08:23):
something that a lot of people don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, definitely, I was not aware of a lot of
these benefits. And you know, does this apply to just
homeowners or say somebody is listening who rents or they're subletting,
can they take advantage of this as well?
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Renters can take advantage of it. We have procedures in
place that if we work with the landlord and make
sure the renter has a stable tendency with the landlord
and if all the qualifications are there, then yes, we
do go in and assist with individuals who rent as well.
(08:58):
They definitely get the count on their utility bills the tenants,
that's for sure. The weatherization and heating system replacement, we
look closely at the situation and determine. But we assist
many renters with that service, and it's very helpful because
many renters are renting for a period of time, and
(09:20):
they need to make sure the heating system works properly.
And the more efficient it is, the lower the heating
bill is. So that's the connection between those services.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Yeah, it's a win win for everybody. It's a win
win for the homeowner. It's a win win for the
renter who's actually going to be able to pay the
heating utilities and make sure they've got enough to get
through the winter and even have some on the side
to maybe buy some warm, tasty food to make sure
they get through in a couple of treats. It really
is hopeful all around.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Absolutely some things it is How can people then get
in touch with your program to learn more about HEAP
and all the options they have, even if they're not
in the Quinsy area.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
How should people get a hold of you or others
to sign up for this?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Well, there are about twenty agencies across the commonwealth who
provide the service. Every community in the state of Massachusetts
receives can receive this service, and if they look online
at to apply dot org slash mass heap, they will
(10:27):
they will be able to find their local agency or
if they go to mass cap that is another website.
M A. S. Scap dot org. They will be able
to click around and find the link to the agencies
and people should call their all the Councils on Aging
(10:48):
know the For many seniors who take take advantage of
this benefit, they can call the Council on Aging in
their community. The Council on agents are a great resource
for this service and help assist many elderly people connecting
them to the heat agencies to get assistants.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
All right, and do you have to have a lot
of information or documentation to apply for this or just
the basics like ID and your heating bills.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
No, you do have to provide your income information to
make sure that you are income eligible. So there are
a list of things that you have to provide in
addition to the heating bills are actually the least concerning.
We connect directly with the oil vendors and with the
utility companies and automatically connect that. The most important thing
(11:42):
is they provide the income information that each agency will
detail out for them and they will see that on
the online on the online portal. If for those who
are comfortable, you know, going onto an online portal, they
will see all the details about that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
When it comes to people in the Quinsy area who
might be able to benefit not just from HEAP and
the assistance here, but all the other programs you've got
going on. How can they get in touch with you?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Well, they can go onto our website, which is QCAP
dot org, or they can call and make an appointment
with us, and the phone number that they should call
is six one seven six five seven five three oh one,
(12:30):
and that will get them directly to our energy department
and they will take it from there and we will
process their application. It's a busy time of year for us,
for all of the HEAP agencies. It gets busier as
it gets colder. So that is the reason we encourage
everyone to call early before we uh, before it gets
(12:52):
really cold, and then we have thousands of people calling
to get help. And you're we will get to everybody eventually,
but we encourage everyone to know to be patient with
us as we process those applications and take everybody's calls.
But it's a great resource, and as I was saying,
(13:13):
connects people to so many things beyond just that heating assistance.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Yeah, it's better to get it done, get it over with,
so you can enjoy the fall and winter months, you
don't have to think about it and make sure you
can get it taken care of as well. We'll bet Van.
Thank you so much for your time and it's been
great to have you on the show and all the
best as you make you way through the winter months.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Thank you so much. You're very welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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