Council set to receive €1.9m cash injection

MONEY WILL FUND HOUSING ADAPTATIONS

WICKLOW County Council has a budget of just under € 1.9 million available to carry out housing adaptations for older people and people living with a disability.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien announced on Thursday the national allocations for the € 73.75 million made available in 2020 for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability living in private houses.

The grants are 80 per cent funded from the exchequer by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with 20% funding from the relevant local authority.

Wicklow County Council has a total budget of € 1,899,714, having received € 1,519,771 from the Department and having provided € 379,943 toward the grant.

The increased funding continues to support home adaptations for older people, people with a disability and people with mobility issues. It will enable older people and people with disabilities to remain living independently in their own homes for longer should they wish and will also facilitate early return from hospital.

Grants of up to € 30,000 are available to assist people with a disability in carrying out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs, up to € 8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out and up to € 6,000 for mobility aids to address mobility problems for a member of the household.

The grants also create employment opportunities for builders and local businesses and help reduce the dependency on health services by supporting independent living for as long as possible.