Over €2.8M in housing adaptation grants for Cav-Mon

Over €2.8M has been allocated to local authorities in Cavan and Monaghan for the Housing Adaptation Grant scheme targeted at home improvements to improve the quality of life for elderly people and those with disabilities.

A total of €1,519,168 has been allocated to Cavan County Council for these types of works; while €1,286,225 has been allocated to Monaghan County Council.

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 local authority.

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.

Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith has welcomed the allocations.

"There is always such a huge demand on these grants. It can be life changing for a person to get their home adapted to facilitate their needs.

“It is really important so that our citizens get the help they need to live safely in their own homes,” he said.

Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien said the allocations represented an increased level of funding for local authorities for these type of home improvement works.

“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," said the Minister.

Also welcoming the allocation, Minister Heather Humphreys explained that the grants are 80% funded from exchequer funding and 20% from the relevant local authority.

“These grants can help create employment opportunities for builders and businesses in County Cavan and help reduce the dependency on our health services by supporting independent living for as long as possible," said Minister Humphreys.