The worst kept secret for most homeowners, renters, or landlords today is that energy prices were on their way up well before Russia invaded Ukraine. It’s raised prices on everything from Uber rides to children’s toys. The current (as of March 21, 2022) price of oil at above $110 a barrel is down slightly from this month’s high of $130. Gas to run your automobile is precariously priced from a low of $4 a gallon to a high of $6 nationwide, and the pain is being felt in all aspects of our lives.
“The crisis in Ukraine has truly put energy prices in a whole new prism,” says Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Energy Marketer’s Association. “We’re seeing prices we have never seen before.”
It’s in these troubled times when the domino effect of world events collude in an attempt to convince us that the home heating prices are really a direct result solely of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Making such quick conclusions makes us feel good because it means we don’t have to think. Rather than focus on the political reasons for this price increase (and there are many), let’s instead discuss the resources available for our most vulnerable Massachusetts residents to ease the sticker shock of home energy prices and ride it out until their situations get better. Now more than ever it’s important to know that we’re all in this together.
Here are some statistics from a March 10, 2022 ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development) press release:
* Over 120,000 Massachusetts households receiving fuel assistance have
used up their benefits.
* The average cost of a gallon of heating oil ($6) means it takes $1,500 to fill an
oil tank, and that usually lasts less than a month.
It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to know that a single person working a full-time minimum wage job paying $ 1500 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment in Boston (to use one example) will find themselves having to balance the need to eat with the need to stay warm during these next few months. Imagine how hard it’s been for a family of two or more.
John Drew, President/CEO of ABCD, puts it very clearly: “America’s low-income families are in a full-blown economic crisis…They need and deserve help NOW. Here in the Northeast it stays cold through April. Drew is among those hopeful that the Commonwealth will include urgent relief to the extent of $50 million in the supplemental state budget.
The resilience of the American people can always be found through the agencies that tirelessly work to support those most in need. Along with ABCD-Fuel Assistance (phone number 617-357-6012), eligible residents can contact MASSCAP (Massachusetts Association for Community Action) at 617-357-6086 (masscap.org),Community Action, Inc. (communityactioninc.org, 978-373-1971 ext 218), and Boston Building Resources (bostonbuildingresources.com, 617-442-2262.)
Consider these organizations a series of intertwining circles that weave in and out of each other. They’re working towards the same objective: community relief, alleviating suffering, social justice and economic equity. If you’re in need of help now, or feel you might be in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
SAMPAN, published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, is the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, acting as a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area. It is published biweekly and distributed free-of-charge throughout metro Boston; it is also delivered to as far away as Hawaii.
