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Date: 1/4/2024
HAMPDEN — If people find themselves having difficulties paying to heat their home this winter, the Hampden Senior Center’s Emergency Fuel Fund is there to help.
Hampden Senior Center Outreach Coordinator Wendy Cowles said the Senior Center has been providing the community with home heating help for well over a decade. The fund will help Hampden residents once per season with oil, gas, or electric heating costs. There are no age or income criteria for applicants, but they must have received a shut-off notice from the electric company, have less than a quarter of a tank of oil, or be in another emergency heating situation.
There are limits to the amount of help the fund can provide. For example, Cowles said applicants can receive financial assistance with 100 gallons of oil or a $400 bill “so you don’t get your heat shut off,” but assistance much beyond that is generally out of the fund’s capability.
Cowles said more people have reached out for help this year than in years passed. So far this winter, 10 families have sought help. “It’s only December, and it’s not that cold out,” she said. She cited inflation and the end of COVID-19-era financial assistance as likely reasons for the uptick.
The Emergency Fuel Fund program is funded by donations. Cowles said donations have dropped, which is “not surprising given what things look like” in terms of the economy.
While most donations are from individuals, Cowles said the Friends of the Senior Center approached her last year with an offer to help close the gap between the program’s funding resources and the need in the community. It has been a “huge help,” she said.
Cowles said she also helps people sign up for the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as fuel assistance. Despite the name, the program also helps with other energy bills. In the Greater Springfield area, fuel assistance is administered by the Valley Opportunity Council. She emphasized that Hampden families and individuals of all ages can turn to the Council on Aging for a variety of needs, as it is the only social services agency in town.
“No one will go cold,” Cowles vowed.
For more information on the Emergency Fuel Fund, call 413-566-5588, or stop by the Senior Center at 104 Allen St. To learn more about the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, visit valleyopp.com/energy-assistance/fuel-assistance.