Housing Adaptation grant will allow elderly and people with disabilities to live independently

Funding of over €1 million will be made available this year for housing adaptations for older people and people with a disability living in private houses - and Councillor Dara Mulvey has encouraged Sligo people to apply for such grants if they are required.

Cllr. Mulvey said the funding of €1,367,534 will enable older people and people with disabilities to live more comfortably in their own homes.

“I welcome this funding which will assist many older people and people with a disability to remain living independently in their own homes and help reduce the dependency on our health services by supporting independent living for as long as possible.

“The Housing Adaptation Grant helps people to make changes and adaptations to their home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or adding a stair-lift.

“These grants have an im- mense impact on the quality of life of the many beneficiaries of the programme and play a vitally important role in helping people with a disability and people who are reaching an age in life when they are less mobile, to continue to live independently in their own homes.”

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.

“These grants also create employment opportunities for builders and local businesses” stated Cllr Mulvey.

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