Irish county council to help older and disabled people with €1.3m funding for housing adaptations
A county council in the midland region of Laois in Ireland has announced that people with disabilities and the older population can access €1.3 million in new funding for housing adaptations.
In May 2023, Laois County Council received €1,137,150 from Ireland’s Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to give out in grants for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with A Disability scheme.
Types of works that are allowable under the scheme include access ramps, stairlifts, downstairs toilet facilities, accessible showers, adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access and extensions.
The council also received €576,990 from the same department, for the Disabled Persons Grant and Works in lieu. It will add €64,110 from its own resources to that pot of funding for social housing works such as wheelchair ramps.
Laois County Council CEO John Mulholland drew attention to the figures, at the May meeting. “Grant notifications in excess of €3 million were received” John noted.
Funding also includes €75,000 from the Department of Health for Healthy Ireland scheme, over €1 million for the Community Recognition Fund, €54,000 for minor flood works, €82,744 for anti-dumping initiatives, and €83,035 for the local biodiversity action fund.
By the end of April 2023, there were 11 new applications made for the disabled persons grant for social housing to the council.
Grants which fund housing adaptations to enable disabled people in the district to live independently were administered by Lichfield District Council recently.
Source credit: Laois Live
