COVID-19 Support

Basic Needs

• Food
  • Greater Boston Food Bank Food Locator
  • Project Bread Resource Hotline: 1-800-645-8333/ TTY 1-800-377-1292 (available in 160 languages, Monday-Friday 8am-7pm and Saturday 10am-2pm)
    
  • Project Bread Summer Eats Site Locator: Summer Eats sites across the state provide free meals to all kids and teens, no identification or registration required. Find a site in your area.
  • Boston Summer Eats: Call 1-800-645-8333 or text "Food" to 877-877 to find a site near you. (Free breakfast and lunch for youth 18 and under. No ID or registration required.)
  • Chelsea Summer Eats: Meal site locations and dates/times of service.
  • Extra Emergency SNAP and Cash Benefits during COVID-19: What you need to know.
  • Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT): Families with children who were receiving free or reduced-price school lunches will receive $5.86 per day per eligible student. Read more here.
  • Boston community fridges & food distribution/delivery
  • Fair Foods Boston: Provides bags of fresh produce for a suggested donation of $2, but they will not turn anybody away. There are no eligibility requirements, no registration, and no ID checks. Take as many bags as you need for yourself, friends, or family.
  • The Chelsea Collaborative/La Colaborativa: Runs a food pantry in Chelsea and operates a bilingual English/Spanish community hotline (617-889-6080) to connect Chelsea residents with local resources during COVID-19

  
  

• Utilities/Financial Support

  Utilities
  

  • Fuel and Utility Assistance Resources
  • Utility shut-off moratorium: Companies can not turn off water, gas, or electric service or threaten to do so during the state of emergency. To file a complaint involving a gas, electric, or water company, click here or call 877-886-5066
    
  • Comcast (Internet) - New Internet Essentials customers are eligible for 2 months free internet. Learn more and apply here.
  • National Grid (Electricity) - Temporarily suspending collections-related activities and service disconnections
  • Eversource (Electricity) - Temporarily suspending service terminations, waiving late payment fees, and offering flexible payment plans for past due bills
  • AT&T (Phone/Internet) - Temporarily suspending service terminations and waiving late payment fees
  • Verizon (Phone/Internet) - Waived late fees through June 30, now offering customers repayment options through the Stay Connected repayment program
  • Assurance Wireless (Phone/Internet) - Free Android phone, 350 voice minutes, unlimited texts, and 3 GB of data each month to qualifying low-income MA households.
  • MA Good Neighbor Energy Fund- for any MA resident who, because of temporary financial difficulty, can't meet a month's energy expense and is not eligible for state or federal energy assistance. 

  Financial Support
  

  • Unemployment Benefits - Learn more and apply here. The 1-week waiting period is waived. 
    • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) & Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) provide benefits to those who usually don't qualify for benefits (i.e. self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers, & those who exhausted previous unemployment benefits). The benefit is payable through December 26.
  • MA Workers Emergency Relief Funds - English | Español | Português
  • DTA and SNAP Benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Employee Rights & Employer Obligations - English | Español | Português| 简体中文

  
  

  
  

• Housing
  • Rental Relief Resource Guide available HERE
  • Emergency Assistance shelter - due to office closures, families can only apply by calling 1-866-584-0653. Read more here. 
    • If DHCD says your family is ineligible for emergency shelter, call the MA Coalition for the Homeless at 781-595-7570 x36. 
    • Boston Office of Housing Stability: Call 617-635-4200, email housingstability@boston.gov, or for additional help call 3-1-1 (City of Boston hotline).
  • On April 20, MA passed a law that all evictions and foreclosures are postponed until at least October 19, or later if Governor Baker extends the moratorium again. If you have questions about the postponement or are worried about getting evicted, call the City Life/Vida Urbana hotline at 617-934-5006 (English) or 617-397-3773 (Spanish).
    • Read about your housing rights during COVID-19 here.
  • Tenant Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors During COVID-19 (National Housing Law Project)
  • UHaul- Offers contactless options for moving during the pandemic.
  • Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) - financial assistance to families and individuals at risk of homelessness.
  • Rental Assistance Request (City Mission Boston): Limited, one-time grants for Boston residents for back rent; does not ask about immigration status.
  • Rental Relief Fund (City of Boston): The second round of applications is closed. To be contacted when the next round of funding is open, complete the contact form: English, Español, Kriolu Kabuverdianu, Kreyòl ayisyen, Tiếng Việt, 中文.
• Childcare

  Families can search for emergency childcare providers operating during COVID-19 here.

• Transportation
  • MBTA Reduced Service Schedule
  • The RIDE (ADA-accessible rides)- Services are not affected but the RIDE Eligibility Center office has been closed since March 23 and can be reached by phone (617-337-2727) or email (trec@paratransit.org). All rides must now be scheduled 1-3 days in advance.
  • MA RMV: Licenses and permits expiring during the pandemic are issued an extension. 
    • Expired in March, April, May 2020: now expire in September 
    • Expired in June 2020: now expire in October
    • Expired in July 2020: now expire in November
    • Expired in August 2020: now expire in December
• Prescription Medicine
  • CVS Pharmacy waives charges for at-home delivery of prescription medicine; Aetna offers 90-day maintenance medication prescriptions for insured and Medicare members
  • Rite Aid- call ahead, utilize drive-thru pharmacy, or order prescription delivery
  • Walgreens- call ahead, utilize drive-thru pharmacy, or order prescription delivery. They'll waive the delivery fee for some eligible prescriptions (call pharmacist).

Emotional Support & Safety

• Talk to Someone
  • Parental Stress Line (1-800-632-8188)- 24/7 free, confidential support for parents and caregivers, available in all languages. Trained counselors offer judgment-free, compassionate support. 
  • Crisis Text Line - Feeling overwhelmed? Text HOME to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor.
  • SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline- 24/7 free, confidential support to those experiencing emotional distress due to the outbreak. Call 1-800-985-5990 (TTY 1-800-846-8517) or text TalkWithUs or Hablanos to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
  • Samaritans Suicide Helpline: 24/7 free, confidential suicide prevention and support hotline. If you need to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, grieve the loss of a loved one to suicide, or learn how to help others in crisis, call or text 877-870-HOPE(4673).
  • Pause a While Inc.- Daily dial-in and Zoom virtual AA meetings (See schedule here)
  • SMART Recovery - Over 40 weekly online recovery meetings & 24/7 discussion forums and support
  • SafeLink (877-785-2020/ TTY 877-521-2601): 24/7 free, confidential support for anyone affected by domestic and dating violence, available in all languages. Call now to speak with a trained advocate.
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 free, confidential support for anyone affected by domestic violence, available in all languages. Call 800-799-7233, text LOVEIS to 22522, or chat online with a trained advocate.
  • Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence Hotline: 24/7 hotline for anyone affected by domestic violence; trained advocates speak 16 Asian languages & dialects. Call 617-338-2355.
  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Hotline (1-800-841-8371/ TTY 1-800-439-2370): 24/7 free, confidential support for survivors of sexual violence ages 12 and older and their friends and families. Call 24/7 or chat online (9am-11pm).
  • The Network/La Red Hotline (1-800-832-1901): 24/7 free, confidential support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and/or transgender (LGBQ/T) folks, as well as folks in SM/kink and polyamorous communities who are being abused or have been abused by a partner
  • The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386)- 24/7 free, confidential crisis intervention and support for LGBQ/T youth. Call, text START to 678678, or chat online. 

  If you or someone in your family is in crisis, call the Boston Emergency Services Team at North Suffolk Mental Health (1-800-981-4357).

• Take Care of Yourself
  • Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health during an Infectious Disease Outbreak (SAMHSA)
  • Social Distancing & Recovery from Substance Use: Guidance for those in recovery from substance use and their loved ones
  • Child Mind Institute: Twice daily English and twice weekly Spanish livestreams with experts answering questions about parenting during COVID-19

  Join an Online Support Group:

  • Parents Helping Parents Massachusetts: Daily online parent support groups are available on Zoom here.
  • The Home for Little Wanderers: Weekly virtual parent cafe in English & Spanish. Sign up on Eventbrite here for Zoom links.
  • Jewish Family & Children's Services: Weekly online support groups for parents of newborns, new adoptive parents, and mothers experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety. Sign up here.

• Wellness Apps and Sites (for adults & youth)
  • Headspace - free guided meditations, sleep and movement exercises
  • Calm - free calming music, meditations, and wellness resources
  • JP Centre Yoga - Daily free/pay-what-you-can yoga livestream via Zoom. Learn more and sign up here.
  • Down Dog Yoga- free Down Dog, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout until June 1 (and until July 1 for all K-12 and college students and teachers)
  • Daylio – a daily mood tracker and journaling app
  • Happify– activities and games designed to improve mood
  • Pacifica – a mindfulness program for teens
  • Virtual Hope Box – an app focused on hopefulness and coping skills
  • What’s Up – an app for practicing coping skills and managing depression
  • Calm Harm – an app for teens to help manage thoughts of self-harm
  • Apart of Me – a game that helps children cope with the loss of a parent, loved one, or someone close to them (age 11+)
  • New Gratitude Journal – a journaling app that encourages users to list 5 things they’re grateful for using text, photos and emojis
  • Youper - an emotional health assistant and journaling app

Talking with Youth about COVID-19

• Tips for Parents & Caregivers
  • Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 - English | Español
  • Talking to Teens and Tweens about Coronavirus - New York Times
  • PBS Kids: How to Talk to Your Kids about Coronavirus (videos, games, and activities teaching kids how illness spreads and how to stay healthy)
  • COVID-19 Information By and For People with Disabilities
  • Helping Children with Autism Cope During the Coronavirus Quarantine: Advice from Temple Grandin
  • What to Do When Your Child on the Autism Spectrum's Routine Is Disrupted by the Coronavirus
• Kids Comics and Stories
  • What is the Coronavirus? (Social Story)
  • Just for Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus
  • COVIBOOK: A workbook for kids explaining the coronavirus - English | Español | عربى | Português
  • BrainPOP: Coronavirus (4-minute animated video, activities, and quizzes)
  • Time to Come In, Bear: A Children's Story About Social Distancing (2-minute video)
  • Rainbows in Windows, with David Sutherland (2-minute video)

Help Children Cope

• Preschool
• School Age (6-12 years)
• Adolescent (13-18 years)

Click here for resources to support at-home activities and learning!