The problem with heating assistance is you have to be flat ass broke before you qualify. We get the privilege of paying into it and ot being allowed to get anything out of it.

That being said you can run off road diesel or even regular diesel. Diesel doesn't gel until like 15 degrees...plus mixed with any residual kerosene should lower that temp even more. You can add anti gel if you want an added layer of safety. You also get more heat per gal out of densely than you do kerosene so not only is it cheaper, a gallon goes farther.

Another alternative is to score any kind of fat and transester it into biodeisel. It's not hard but you'll need a source of methanol and lye. Any kind of fat will work. SOYLENT GREEN!

Thirdly, depending on your home, you can score cheap wood stoves on Facebook marketplace for cheap/free. You'll just need to figure out a chimney. A wood stove for supplemental heat goes a loooong way. It's Vermont. Wood is free. Even if you spent a few hundred to get set up the thing will pay for itself in a month.

Edit: a word