Advertisement

Latest Laois News: Housing Adaptation Grants announced for older & disabled Laois people
News|Uncategorized

Latest Laois News: Housing Adaptation Grants announced for older & disabled Laois people

Ministers O’Brien & Burke announce €75m fund to improve homes of older people & people with a disability

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD, have today (1 March 2021) announced a €75m fund for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability.

The fund, which supports home adaptations for older people, those with a disability and people with mobility issues, is 80% exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with 20% funding from the relevant local authority.

Minister Pippa Hackett welcomed the announcement as follows:


“Providing supports for the vulnerable people in our community says a lot about the kind of society we are, so I’m pleased to see that €1,263,744 will be spent on improving the homes of older people and those with a disability in Laois this year. These works are designed to give people the independence they need to continue living 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 to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out and up to €6,000 for mobility aids. 

Photo of Pippa Hackett on Abbeyleix Bog in Laois
Minister Pippa Hackett welcomed the announcement of the funding for home adaption purposes for our older people and for those with disabilities

Commenting Minister O’Brien said,

“I am delighted to be in a position to allocate increased funding to each local authority so that they can continue to support older people and those with a disability to live independently.

“Importantly, home adaptations help reduce the dependency on our health services by supporting independent living for as long as possible and in other instances facilitate an early return from hospital, taking pressure off already over-burdened services. 

“These grants will also provide a boost to local economies, creating employment opportunities for local contractors. While the current shutdown in construction activity remains in place, it is very important that people are aware that housing adaptation works can continue with the consent of the homeowner and once public health guidelines are adhered to,” he concluded.

Minister Burke added,

“I am pleased that funding for our Local Authorities to administer this scheme has been increasing year on year since 2014. This shows the importance that is attached to the scheme and the Government’s commitment to older people and those with a disability.

Minister of State Sean Fleming welcomed the announcement of the funding for home adaption purposes for our older people and for those with disabilities

“These grants have an huge impact on the quality of life of the many beneficiaries 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.

“As Minister of State with responsibility for housing for older people and people with a disability, I am fully committed to assisting individuals to stay in their own homes and within their own communities for as long as  possible and these allocations today will facilitate this goal for many” he concluded. 

Local AuthorityEXCHEQUER FUNDING (80%)LA FUNDING (20%)COMBINED TOTAL
Carlow€1,284,618€321,155€1,605,773
Cavan€1,215,334€303,834€1,519,168
Clare€1,791,704€447,926€2,239,630
Cork City€1,809,344€452,336€2,261,680
Cork County€4,732,906€1,183,227€5,916,133
Donegal€1,406,604€351,651€1,758,255
Dublin City€6,869,642€1,717,411€8,587,053
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown€2,138,457€534,614€2,673,071
Fingal€2,743,122€685,781€3,428,903
Galway City€923,069€230,767€1,153,836
Galway County€2,336,383€584,096€2,920,479
Kerry€2,110,112€527,528€2,637,640
Kildare€2,529,830€632,458€3,162,288
Kilkenny€1,560,011€390,003€1,950,014
Laois€1,010,995€252,749€1,263,744
Leitrim€452,679€113,170€565,849
Limerick City & County€2,754,000€688,500€3,442,500
Longford€663,881€165,970€829,851
Louth€1,511,984€377,996€1,889,980
Mayo€2,587,133€646,783€3,233,916
Meath€2,033,466€508,367€2,541,833
Monaghan€1,028,980€257,245€1,286,225
Offaly€1,095,044€273,761€1,368,805
Roscommon€952,314€238,079€1,190,393
Sligo€1,140,438€285,110€1,425,548
South Dublin€2,340,425€585,106€2,925,531
Tipperary€2,617,436€654,359€3,271,795
Waterford City & County€1,662,000€415,500€2,077,500
Westmeath€1,134,657€283,664€1,418,321
Wexford€2,001,272€500,318€2,501,590
Wicklow€1,562,160€390,540€1,952,700
Total:€60,000,000€15,000,000€75,000,000
Amounts made available for Home Adaptation