Heating assistance funds running out early as brutal winter continues

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Heating assistance for many local families has run out with weeks of winter weather still ahead, leaving some households scrambling for ways to stay warm.

The Valley Opportunity Council, which helps approximately 20,000 local households stay warm each winter, may have already surpassed that number this year despite it only being February. Many families have already burned through their benefits due to what officials call a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances. “I haven’t seen anything like this. The number of people running out of benefit and how early they have run out is significantly concerning,” said Melissa White, director of programs at Valley Opportunity Council.