State officials today received authorization from the federal government to begin dispensing nearly $78 million in assistance to thousands of Massachusetts households that need help paying heating bills.
Those funds were tied up as state officials awaited an award letter from Washington that triggers the state’s ability to dole out the money, which many cash strapped households use to secure heating oil deliveries. Those deliveries usually begin Nov. 1, but had to be put off.
The letter from the US Department of Health and Human Services arrived today, following pressure from state leaders, including Governor Deval Patrick, US Representative Edward J. Markey and Senator John F. Kerry.
“We will immediately begin working to make these funds available to the 22 administering agencies across the Commonwealth to serve our most vulnerable households,” said Mary-Leah Assad, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Housing and Community Development. “We thank our Congressional delegation for their support in securing these funds that will become increasingly vital as we approach the cold winter months.”
In Massachusetts, 250,000 households received heating assistance last year, according to Action for Boston Community Development Inc., a nonprofit that serves low-income residents in the Boston area. Aid advocates say they expect even more people to need help this year, as families are squeezed by poor economic conditions and job losses.
That has aid advocates and local leaders pushing Congress to approve additional funding for the heating assistance program. In past years, the program received as much as $5.1 billion, but last fiscal year received about $4.7 billion. This year, that funding could be slashed. In an effort to rein in mounting deficits, the Obama administration has proposed cutting the heating assistance program in half, to $2.6 billion.
John Drew, president of Action for Boston Community Development, said losing that much funding for heating aid would be devastating. The $78 million in aid the state is getting now, he said, will only get low-income families through the next few weeks.
Still, he applauded efforts that helped get the money released to the state, and said he and his staff are working to get heating oil to 7,000 area households that have already qualified for help.
“We’ll get the trucks rolling,” he said.
Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ailworth.