Almost €2M for adaptation grants

Some €1,197,834 has been made available to support home adaptations for older people, people with a disability and people with mobility issues in Cavan, Fine Gael Senator Joe O’Reilly has said. This will be supported by €299,458 Cavan County Council.
The funding, which has been increased this year, will enable older people and people with disabilities to remain living independently in their own homes for longer and will also facilitate early return from hospital.   
Senator Joe O’Reilly said: “I am confident that today’s allocation will continue to build on the progress made since the introduction of this scheme in 2007 and it will demonstrate the Government’s continued commitment to older people and people with a disability. 
“This follows on from the launch last week of our policy document ‘Housing Options for Our Ageing Population’, which committed further resources from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for this scheme."
Senator O'Reilly said that funding has been increasing year on year since 2014 for the scheme.  
“These grants have an immense 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.”
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.  
The grants are 80% funded from the exchequer by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, with 20% funding from Cavan County Council. 
“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,” added Senator O'Reilly.