Need Help Paying Utilities, Rent, Purchasing Food or Holiday Gifts? Please Read
The Mayor’s Office wants to remind our community members that there are programs and resources available to them.
If you need help paying heating or electric bills, filling an oil or propane tank, putting food on the table, paying rent, or purchasing holiday gifts, we’ve compiled a guide to local programs and resources that may help. The list can be found below.
If you have the means to help others facing financial hardship, consider donating to the Melrose Emergency Fund. The Melrose Emergency Fund provided more than $78,000 in one-time relief to Melrose families in financial emergencies last fiscal year but only received $35,000 in donations. If you can help pay for a family’s utility bill, food, rent, or other necessities, consider donating to the fund today. Donating is easy, just visit https://www.cityofmelrose.org/emergencyfund.
To learn about the Melrose Emergency Fund fundraising campaign, 50k by the Holiday, visit https://www.cityofmelrose.org/50kbytheHoliday.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
If you’re struggling, it’s okay to share your feelings. To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, it takes only three digits: 988. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call OR text this number to get connected with a trained crisis counselor who can help, listen, offer support, and provide further resources if needed.
Veterans can also now dial 988 and press 1 to reach the Veteran Crisis Line.
Everyone can play a role in suicide prevention: Please share this number with your family, friends, and neighbors.
Holiday Assistance
Melrose residents in search of holiday assistance can reach out to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department. Staff will work with you to find you the assistance that you need.
Resources include grocery store gift cards and holiday gift assistance. To submit a holiday assistance request, call 781-979-4130 or email health@cityofmelrose.org.
The HHS Department also has a brochure of programs and resources, which can be picked up at the department’s ground floor location at City Hall, or digitally accessed here.
Utility Resources
Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Known commonly as Fuel Assistance, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps eligible households in paying a portion of winter heating bills.
ABCD administers the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and serves the Mystic Valley cities and towns of Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Winchester, Woburn, and Stoneham. If you are an ABCD Fuel Assistance (LIHEAP) client, you may also qualify for ABCD’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).
How to Apply
Residents should contact their utility company to apply for an income-eligible rate that will provide a discount on their entire home energy bill. Homeowners and renters including households whose cost of heat is included in the rent can apply at the agency in their area. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program application is free. No fee is required to apply, and free help is available to complete applications. Beware of scams by people charging an “application fee” as part of the application process.
Who is Eligible
ABCD follows federal guidelines based on your annual income and how many people are in your family. Your gross family income must be at or below 60% of the Massachusetts median income. The program can pay several hundred dollars towards the heating or utility bills, depending on income. Those eligible for LIHEAP are also eligible to have their homes or apartments weatherized and the heating system repaired or replaced.
For more information about these programs, visit ABCD’s weatherization assistance program click here, and to learn more about ABCD’s heating system repair program, click here. Eligibility is based on household size and the gross (pre-taxed) annual income of every household member, 18 years of age or older. Household income cannot exceed 60% of the estimated median state income.
The Good Neighbor Energy Fund
The Good Neighbor Energy Fund is available to Massachusetts residents who do not qualify for LIHEAP assistance but, because of temporary financial difficulty, still find themselves in need of assistance heating their homes. Funds are paid directly to the energy provider and can be used to pay for oil, electric, gas, or propane heat. The applicant’s household income must fall between 60 and 80 percent of the area median income limits.
Melrose Community Power: Enroll Today and Save Money on Energy Bills
Melrose residents and businesses enrolled in Melrose Community Power (MCP) have not been impacted by the rate hike recently announced by National Grid, which increased their rates to 18.213 cents/kWh. This rate is significantly higher than the MCP standard Melrose Local Green supply rate of 11.537 cents/kWh.
In addition, the City of Melrose is under contract with electricity supplier NextEra Energy Services through November 2024 and offers electricity program rates that are fixed and will not change for two more years. About 85% of Melrose households participate in the MCP program.
Community members can save money this winter by enrolling in MCP by visiting https://mcp.cityofmelrose.org/ or by calling our supplier NextEra at 855-639-8058. Having trouble signing up? Call City of Melrose Sustainability Manager Martha Grover at (781) 979-4195 or email her at mgrover@cityofmelrose.org.
Savings cannot be guaranteed as National Grid’s rates change twice a year.
National Grid Low-Income R-2 Discount Rate
In addition to fuel assistance, National Grid offers a Low-Income R-2 Discount Rate. If eligible, residents can also receive about 30% off their entire gas and electric bills. The online application is here: https://www.nationalgridus.com/Discount-Rate-App-MA or residents can call National Grid’s Customer Service at 800-322-3223 to apply. The ABCD Fuel Assistance program will also help them apply.
The Melrose Emergency Fund (Utilities, Rent, Food, Clothing, and other Basic Needs)
The Emergency Fund provides one-time help to Melrose residents experiencing financial emergencies. Most of the help the fund provides is for basic needs — food, utilities and rent. The fund depends entirely on donations from the public, and every penny goes directly to aid Melrose residents. All applications are confidential.
Applications should be mailed, scanned/emailed, or hand delivered to the Melrose Council on Aging, located at 235 W. Foster Street, or the Mayor’s office, located at 562 Main Street. Scanned or digital applications should be emailed to emergencyfund@cityofmelrose.org.
To download an application, and learn more about the Emergency Fund visit https://www.cityofmelrose.org/emergencyfund.
Additional Utility Resources
If you are behind on utility bills, contact your utility company and ask about the payment plans they provide. Utility companies offer several ways to assist customers in paying their overdue bills, such as:
- Flexible Payment Plans
- Balance Forgiveness Plans
If your household income is between 60 and 80 percent of the state median income, you may be able to receive help from the Good Neighbor Energy Fund.
If you are experiencing an immediate loss of heat, you can call the Cold Relief Heatline at (800) 632-8175.
Food Resources
Free Community Meals
First United Methodist Church
Sundays 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
645 Main St, Melrose
St. Joseph Church
First Thursday of the month, 5–5:30 p.m.
173 Albion St, Wakefield
Most Blessed Sacrament Community Dinners
Second Wednesday of the month, 5–6 p.m.
1155 Main Street, Wakefield
Faith Evangelical Church
Third Friday of the month, 5–6 p.m.
200 Franklin St, Melrose
Melrose Food Pantries
Pantry of Hope at First Baptist Church
Tuesdays from 3—5 p.m., 561 Main St, Melrose, Melrose community members can visit the Pantry of Hope food pantry on Tuesdays from 3—5 p.m. but are encouraged to first call the pantry at 781-665-4470.
Veterans Mobile Food Market
Third Wednesday of the month, 8 to 11 a.m.
Memorial Hall, 590 Main St, Melrose
Please contact Melrose Veterans Services Office to sign up or for further information at 781-979-4186 or 781-979-4187.
A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry
Every Friday, 10 — 11:30 a.m.
Faith Evangelical Church, 200 Franklin St, Melrose
Sunday Free Meal Distribution from the Melrose Community Freezer
Every Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Melrose First United Methodist Church, 645 Main Street, Melrose
Melrose Community Dinners at Faith Evangelical Church
Every Third Friday at 6 p.m., 200 Franklin Street, Melrose
To learn about additional free meals taking place in surrounding communities, visit https://www.thefooddrive.org/free-meals, and additional foot pantries in surrounding communities, visit https://www.thefooddrive.org/food-pantries.
Discount & Free Clothing
Trinity Thrift Shop
Trinity Episcopal Parish, 131 West Emerson St. Melrose
Mondays 6:30 PM -8:00 PM
Tuesdays 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Thursdays 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturdays 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Closed Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
Boston ABCD – Clothing and Essentials (FREE)
In these challenging times, many are in urgent need of the basics: items that will bring some comfort and enable them to direct available resources to other necessities. If you have infants or young children, you’ve recently moved into a new home, and you urgently need clothes and basic furnishings, Boston ABCD welcomes your call. Call: (617) 348-6000 or contact your nearest ABCD neighborhood location.
MelroseWakefield Hospital Resources, Support Networks, and Programs
MelroseWakefield Hospital aims to fulfill the needs of its communities. Their programs vary from providing referrals to support networks to providing access to food and clothing to supporting elders and families with young children in our community. To learn about their programs, visit https://www.melrosewakefield.org/in-the-community/community-services/community-programs/
 | Did we miss anything that you feel should be included in this list? Let us know! Email Lily Martin at lmartin@cityofmelrose.org to share helpful programs and resources that more Melrosians should know about. |