Wallace confirms Meath County Council Grant of €1.464M for Older people and people with a disability

5th March 2010

Meath County Council is to receive an initial allocation of €1,464,096 in 2010 in grants to improve or extend the private homes of older people and people with a disability confirms Meath East TD Mary Wallace.

Deputy Wallace stated “This is an increase of more than €464,096 on the funding provided in 2009. Housing Adaptation Grants Schemes are vitally important in helping people to continue to live independently in their own homes and communities.  This money is being made available for works to additional provide comfort for our older people and people with a disability”

The grants are administered by local authorities in accordance with a framework laid down in statutory regulations, which, as far as practicable, is designed to give an appropriate degree of flexibility to local authorities in addressing the housing needs of older people and people with a disability. The Department for Housing and Local Services provides recoupments to authorities as follows:
 
• 66% of costs in respect of claims received on foot of Disabled Persons & Essential Repairs Grant Schemes;
 
• 80% of costs in respect of claims received under the new Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability.

Demand for assistance under the Schemes has increased dramatically in recent years.  The Government has responded to this demand by increasing funding each year. Expenditure on the schemes during the lifetime of this Government, from 1997 to 2009, has totalled almost €674 million with local authorities assisting almost 130,000 older people and people with a disability to improve their housing conditions under these schemes.

A revised framework of grant aid to assist older people and people with a disability with their accommodation needs was implemented in November 2007.  The revised schemes target the available resources to those in most need and provide a more seamless set of responses to the needs of older people and people with a disability.

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