April 12, 2024
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued support this week to the families of nearly 8,500 Maine children to help them with expenses related to staying warm this winter. Eligible families received a $50 payment per child for clothing, boots, heat, electricity, and other costs of keepingchildren warm during the 2023–24 winter season.
Dependent children who received a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Parents as Scholars benefit for December 2023 were eligible for the payments, which the Department made available through Electronic Benefit Transfer cards this week.
The payments, totaling approximately $415,000, are federally funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. They follow a previous round of support to Maine families from the same funding source in the fall of 2021 for back-to-school items, and TANF-funded heating assistance for families with children in December 2022.