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Funding Available To Adapt Homes For Older People And People With Disabilities

Tuesday, 2 May 2023 15:20

The local authorities in the midlands have been granted €4.5m.

Over €4.5m is being allocated for Housing Adaptation Grants in the midlands. 

Westmeath will receive €1,596,000, with Offaly getting €1,579,375 and €1,421,438 is going to Laois. 

The funding is to help more older people and people with disabilities stay in their own homes for longer.   

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, and the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell TD, have also announced €83.125m in national funding for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older and Disabled people for 2023. 

This is a 2.3% increase on the initial 2022 funding allocation and represents a continuation of the year-on-year increases in the grant since 2014.

Grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist disabled people in carrying out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs. Additionally, grants of up to €8,000 are available to assist older people to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out on their homes. Grants of up to €6,000 are available for mobility aids.  The funding announced today, which supports home adaptations for older people, those with a disability and people with mobility issues, provides 80% Exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The remaining 20% in funding comes from the relevant local authority. 

The 2023 funding allocation is expected to result in some 12,300 grants for older people and disabled people, to facilitate them living independently in their own homes.

Announcing the funding today, Minister O’Brien said: "I am delighted to allocate increased funding in 2023 to deliver 12,300 Housing Adaptation Grants for Older and Disabled people. This allocation will build on the success of last year where we exceeded the number of home adaptations initially targeted. We want to empower and enable people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible – these grants help us to do just that.  They also provide a boost to local economies, creating employment opportunities for local contractors." 

He added: "I am pleased that funding for our local authorities to administer Housing Adaptation Grants has been increasing year-on-year since 2014. This Government is committed to this scheme as it is essential in supporting older and disabled people in their daily lives. These grants have a huge bearing on the home life of their many beneficiaries and play a critical role in helping disabled people and those reaching an age when they are less mobile, to continue to live independently in their own homes. As Minister of State with responsibility for housing for older people and disabled people, I am fully committed to supporting individuals to continue living independently at home and within their own communities. The funding announced today will facilitate this goal."
 
 

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