Valley Opportunity Council begins processing heating assistance applications after shutdown

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - As arctic cold grips western Massachusetts, thousands of families who’ve been choosing between heating and groceries can finally turn up their thermostats. Federal funding for the low-income home energy assistance program was released after a month-long delay.

If you’ve ever worried about choosing between heating and groceries, you’re not alone. The Valley Opportunity Council told us that Thursday’s news is a lifeline for thousands of working families just as dangerous cold moves in.

“These are our neighbors, our families, and our friends. These are hardworking individuals, often working multiple jobs. So it’s, it’s not who you think it is. These are truly people that we work alongside that we live alongside every day,” said Melissa White, the Director of Programs at the Valley Opportunity Council.

The government shutdown delayed LIHEAP funding for a month until Tuesday. The Valley Opportunity Council typically serves about 20,000 households a year. They normally get this funding in early November to help low-income residents stay warm when heating bills spike. now that the money is available, the VOC can process all pending applications. They’re sending out eligibility letters to households and vendors. The timing couldn’t be more critical.

Western Mass News spoke with our First Alert Meteorologist Liam Murphy about the dangerous cold ahead, “for the first time really this season so far, we’re expecting to see wind chills or that it feels like temperature actually gets into the single digits above and below zero. So, we’re talking about the Arctic cold for the first time this season. And so, we could be seeing daytime temperatures on Friday ranging in the 20s. But when you factor in a breeze, it’s going to feel a bit colder than that.”

For families who don’t qualify for LIHEAP funding, National Grid offers these money-saving tips: for every one degree you set back your thermostat, you may save one to three percent on annual heating costs. Turn down the thermostat when leaving the house for two hours or more, and each night before bed. It takes less energy to warm up a cool house than to maintain a constant high temperature.

The VOC expects to process all pending applications within the next couple of weeks. with more bitter cold forecast through the month, this funding could be the difference between families staying warm or facing impossible choices.