More than €59 Million in funding has been made available for older people and people with disabilities for adaptation of their homes, announced Minister Simon Coveney today as the government is encouraging local people to apply for the grants to help them stay in their own homes.
“Older people and people with disabilities with their own homes are going to benefit from new Government funding designed to help them to adapt their homes to improve their mobility and access. The funding can be used by older people and people with disabilities to extend their homes to better cater for their needs. It will also provide for housing adaptations to improve mobility aid such as stair lifts and access ramps. Grants of up to €30,000 are available for an adaptation of a home. Up to €8,000 is available for housing aid for older people and up to €6,000 is allocated for mobility aids.”
At a national level €59.8 million is being available in 2017 for this scheme. The grants are 80% funded from the Exchequer by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community & Local Government, with 20% funding from the relevant local authority. The available exchequer funding for 2017 is €47.8m, an increase of 6% on the 2016 figure of €45m. Combined with the local authority contribution, the overall funding is now €59.8 million.
The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney, has noted that all 31 local authority areas have seen a funding increase for this scheme this year.
“In total €59 Million is being made available for this housing adaptation scheme. 80% is provided by the Exchequer and 20% will be provided by the local authority ” continued Minister Coveney.
“This is all about improving quality of life for older people and people with disabilities. It is also about helping them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. This is good for the person in question and it is good for society as a whole.
“These types of schemes are also good news for the construction sector, helping to create jobs in that sector which of course also has a knock on positive effect for the local economy here.
“The target in both the Programme for Government, and Rebuilding Ireland, our housing plan, is for 10,000 homes to draw down this scheme in 2017, up from 8,000 in 2016.
“I hope to see good take up of the scheme by people who need it here and I will certainly be encouraging constituents whom I know can benefit to apply for this scheme through the Local Authority.”
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS
- Grants are payable in the main to owner-occupied (private) housing.
- Also eligible are houses being purchased under the Tenant Purchase Scheme, private rented accommodation, accommodation provided under voluntary housing schemes and accommodation occupied by persons living in communal residences.