South Dublin County Council will receive increased funding this year to make the homes of older people and people with a disability more suitable to live in, a local Councillor has said.
Councillor Shirley O’Hara said: “The Housing Adaptation Grant is so important as it assists with the necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works to make accommodation more suitable to the needs of older and disabled people supporting them to live in their homes.
“80% of the grant comes from Exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The remaining 20% in funding comes from the relevant local authority which administers the scheme. “I am delighted that South Dublin County Council will receive a total allocation of €4,529,269, which represents an almost 20% increase on last year’s funding.
“Overall, grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist disabled people carry out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs. “This is in addition to grants of up to €8,000 which are there to assist older people to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out on their homes and grants of up to €6,000 are available for mobility aids.
“When combined with the local authority contribution, overall funding of over €93 million in 2024 will deliver some 13,000 grants nationwide for older people and disabled people to facilitate them living independently in their own homes.
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail and local TD, Emer Higgins said: “Fine Gael is working to deliver stronger safer communities and it is important we support people to live in their own homes for as long as they possibly can. These grants have a positive impact on the quality of life of the people who benefit from them and they play an 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.
Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon TD said: ““I am delighted that we can allocate increased funding in 2024 to ensure delivery of these much-needed grants which will allow local authorities to continue to support older and disabled people to live independently and in their own homes.
“As I travel around the country I am regularly meeting and speaking with people who have received assistance through these grants and the difference they make in helping people to live independently for as long as possible is remarkable. These grants also support local economies, creating employment opportunities for local contractors and businesses which is very important,” he concluded.
