Kilkenny funding for Housing Adaptations for Older People and people with a disability

Local Fianna Fail Councillor, Peter 'Chap' Cleere has welcomed the announcement from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government that €1,869,630 will be made available in 2018 for Housing Adaptations for Older People and People with a Disability living in private houses in Kilkenny City and county.

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.

“This investment will facilitate changes needed to make homes suitable for a person with a physical, sensory/intellectual disability or mental health difficulty, to enable older people and people with disabilities to remain living independently in their own homes for longer and also to facilitate early return from hospital," said Cllr Cleere.

"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."

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.

“These grants have an immense 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," Cllr Cleere added.

"Ensuring older members of our communities and people who have a disability are provided with the supports they require is of the utmost importance, particularly in making sure their home is appropriately adapted for their health needs.”

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