Massachusetts Financial Assistance

Boston winters are long and heating bills can be steep. If you're worried about paying for heat, you have three main tools: Fuel Assistance (HEAP) through ABCD, which pays part of your heating bill directly to your vendor Eversource's Discount Rate, with 42% off electric and 25% off gas for eligible customers Massachusetts shutoff protections for low-income households, families with infants, seriously ill people, and homes where all adults are 65 or older This guide explains

If your family is about to lose housing in Boston, or anywhere in Massachusetts, the state's Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter program is the main safety net for families with children and pregnant people. The program has changed a lot since 2024, with new residency, lawful-status and length-of-stay rules. This guide explains who qualifies in 2026–27, how to apply, how long you can stay and what your appeal rights are. Last checked October 2026. EA rules change often,

In Greater Boston, rent and fuel help mostly runs through Metro Housing Boston (which handles RAFT applications for Boston) and the regional community action agencies, including ABCD, Community Teamwork, CAPIC, and NSCAP. Greater Boston Legal Services and Northeast Legal Aid give free help to tenants facing eviction, and the Greater Boston Food Bank and Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline help with food. This guide lists 15. This guide covers the whole metro: Suffolk, Middlese

Boston's church-based help includes citywide programs like Catholic Charities' Yawkey Center, the Salvation Army Kroc Center, and Boston Rescue Mission, plus neighborhood pantries in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Allston-Brighton, and East Boston. This guide lists 15 and how to reach each one. Boston's parishes and congregations run weekly pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters, and Catholic Charities and The Salvation Army offer limited emergency help with rent, utilities, a