Disabled Facilities Grants
If you or someone living in your property is disabled you may qualify for a disabled facilities grant towards the cost of adaptations to your home to enable the disabled person to continue to live there.
The grants are administered by Housing & Community Services under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, following an assessment of need by Adult Social Services Commissioning or Children and Young People's Social Care.
To ensure that the grant goes to the most needy households, the amount of grant you will get will be decided by a means test which will look at the income and capital of the disabled person and their spouse or partner. Where the disabled person is a child under the age of nineteen, the means of the disabled person's parents are also taken into account.
How to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant
Contact Social Services Help Desk and arrange for one of their Occupational Therapists (OT) to visit you to asses the needs of the disabled person:
- The OT will make recommendations for the works required to Housing & Community Services.
- The OT will provide you with an information pack which explains the grant process
- If you are eligible for assistance, Housing & Community Services will then arrange for a survey to be carried out.
- Copies of the schedule of works are produced to enable you to obtain two estimates for the works.
- The information you provide will be used to carry out a 'means test' which will establish whether you have a financial contribution to make towards any grant.
Works that are covered
The grants are allocated for "mandatory" work which is essential for freedom of movement of the disabled person around the home.
The types of work are:
- making it easier to get into and out of the dwelling, i.e. ramps and door widening
- making the building safe for use by the disabled peson
- making access easier to the living room
- providing or improving access to the bedroom, kitchen, toilet, washbasin and bath (and/or shower) facilities
- improving or providing a heating system in your home which is suitable for the needs of the disabled person
- adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use
- improving access and movement around the home to enable you still to care for another person who lives in the property, such as a spouse or child
Further Information
A leaflet produced by The Government titled Disabled Facilities Grants can be downloaded from the Communities and Local Government 
website.
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