Assistance from the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund

The Good Neighbor Energy Fund was established over 20 years ago. It is a resource that Massachusetts families and individuals can turn to in order to get help with paying their gas, oil, heating, and electric bills if they are experiencing a temporary financial difficulty. The program is targeted at those who can’t afford their energy bills and who are not eligible for other state or federal government assistance programs.

The fund is administered by the Salvation Army. According to the Salvation Army, they say that the Good Neighbor Energy Fund really assists people who might not otherwise be able to qualify for other government assistance programs, mainly the working poor of Massachusetts. As these people work, and maybe their income is too high for other government programs. Without assistance from the GNEF program, many of these low to moderate income people would not be able to pay their monthly heating and utility bills.

Since the inception of the fund, the Massachusetts Salvation Army has been able to help tens of thousands of families families and individuals throughout the state from the Good Neighbor Energy Fund. Tens of millions of dollars have been distributed to qualified families. The money to fund the program is donated from utility companies and almost 2 million contributing, caring neighbors throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts also donated funds.

In order to qualify for the program, there are some income levels that households must meet. One condition is income. Total household income for people for the prior twelve months or for the past month (times 12 months for a total annual figure) must below the states median income levels.

While the program will pay cash grants, the maximum amount you can receive from the Good Neighbor Energy Fund is $300 per household per heating season. The cash grants are paid directly to your energy supplier and not sent to the person applying.

There are only certain times to apply. You can receive emergency assistance for your heating bills starting December 1 of each year, and non-emergency heating bill assistance can be applied for starting annually on January 1. Help is given year-round to qualified families, until funding for the program run out.

To learn more or apply, call the Salvation Army toll-free at 1-800-334-3047 (in area codes 617,508,781,978) or 1-800-262-1320 (in area code 413) for more information, as the Salvation Army administers the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund.