Assistance Programs in Massachusetts

RAFT is Massachusetts's active emergency housing assistance: up to $7,000 per household in a 12-month period to help with overdue rent, mortgage payments, utility bills, and moving costs when you face eviction, foreclosure, or loss of utilities. Apply online at ApplyHousingHelp.Mass.Gov, where your application is handled by a Regional Administering Agency. Both a tenant and a landlord application are needed for rental help.

Fuel Assistance, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), helps income-eligible Massachusetts households pay winter heating bills, whether you heat with oil, gas, electricity, propane, or wood. Local Fuel Assistance agencies take applications; the online season opens October 1. Find your agency or apply through the HEAP portal, and call the Cold Relief Heatline at 1-800-632-8175 with questions.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Massachusetts households: insulation, air sealing, and heating-system improvements that lower future bills. Your Fuel Assistance application also serves as your weatherization application, so households eligible for Home Energy Assistance are eligible for weatherization. Contact your local agency, or call the Cold Relief Heatline at 1-800-632-8175.

SNAP is Massachusetts's food assistance program, run by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA): monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online at DTAConnect.com, which takes about 20 minutes, or by phone through the DTA Assistance Line at 1-877-382-2363, press 7, open Monday through Friday, 8:15am to 4:45pm.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. Massachusetts WIC runs through local clinics. Begin online at mass.gov, or call 1-800-942-1007, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, to reach the WIC clinic nearest you and set up an appointment.

MassHealth is Massachusetts's Medicaid and CHIP program: free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. The Children's Medical Security Plan covers uninsured children under 19 who do not qualify for MassHealth, regardless of immigration status. Apply online or call MassHealth Customer Service at 1-800-841-2900, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Massachusetts has a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit worth 40 percent of your federal EITC, raised from 30 percent for tax years starting on or after January 1, 2023. Because it is refundable, it pays out as cash even if you owe no tax. You must qualify for the federal EITC and file a Massachusetts return to claim it.

Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, TAFDC, is Massachusetts's monthly cash assistance for families with children and pregnant people in the last 120 days of pregnancy who have little or no income. It is run by the Department of Transitional Assistance. Apply online at DTAConnect.com or by phone at 1-877-382-2363. Approval also brings MassHealth automatically.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). File online through UI Online at mass.gov/dua, available daily from 6am to 10pm, or by phone through the TeleClaim Center at 1-877-626-6800, Monday through Thursday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. The phone line is closed Fridays so staff can process claims.

Massachusetts legal aid programs provide free civil legal help to low-income residents on eviction, housing, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Find free plain-language legal information at masslegalhelp.org, and use the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder at masslrf.org to see whether you qualify for a legal aid program that serves your city or town.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Massachusetts phone, or call 1-877-211-6277, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. Mass 211 answers around the clock, every day, with information in more than 150 languages. You can also chat or search the resource directory at mass211.org.