The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released more than $39 million in low-income heating assistance for households in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins’ office announced Tuesday.

Federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, had been delayed for weeks by the government shutdown, which ended last month after spanning a record 43 days. Without that support, the state reshuffled some money to get benefits to the program’s most vulnerable participants, but it warned that the move was not sustainable.

Maine’s new allocation includes roughly $38.3 million for the state and about $1.5 million for tribal governments, Collins’ office said.

“LIHEAP funding provides vital relief to thousands of Mainers, helping them avoid the constant worry of having to choose between heating their homes and covering other basic necessities,” Collins said in a written statement.

With the federal money available, the state’s Energy Crisis Intervention Program will open Wednesday, MaineHousing announced. That program — which provides one-time fuel deliveries worth up to $500 to LIHEAP-eligible households that have fully or nearly run out — typically begins in November but was also put on pause.

Monday’s announcements came as families throughout Maine faced the first significant snow storm of the year. The National Weather Service predicted a high temperature of 31 degrees in Portland; in Presque Isle, the forecasted high was 22 degrees.

“While the start of (the crisis intervention program) was delayed by a little over a month, being able to open it now, as our first real winter storm descends upon us, is gratifying,” said Dan Brennan, director of MaineHousing, the quasi-state agency that administers heating aid.

The agency will begin processing regular heating assistance payments early next week.

More than 38,000 households got some form of heating assistance last winter, including more than 7,000 that secured emergency fuel, according to MaineHousing data. Penobscot and Aroostook counties received the most assistance, with more than $3 million distributed to residents of each county.

Maine gets about $40 million in federal LIHEAP funding each year, MaineHousing has said. Of that, $26 million covers heating assistance for residents, while the rest goes to other programs and administrative costs.

Heating assistance amounts range based on factors like household income and demographics. Benefits are delivered in the form of a one-time payment that is generally sent directly to fuel vendors and appears as a credit on participants’ bills.

Residents can apply for heating assistance by visiting MaineHousing.org.