Disabled Facilities Grants
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 and Community Services (HCS) under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, following an assessment of need by Adult Social Services Commissioning or Children and Young Persons Integrated Services.
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 the grant is not subject to a means test.
How To Apply For A Disabled Facilities Grant
- Contact Social Services Help Desk on 01202 633902 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 and Community Services
- HCS will provide you with a Provisional Grant Enquiry Form and an information pack which explains the grant process. The information you provide in the Enquiry Form will be used to carry out a "means test" which will establish whether you have a financial contribution to make towards any grant
- If you are eligible for assistance, Housing and Community Services will then arrange for a visit to your property to discuss which of the adaptation works are suitable for grant aid
- Following the visit a schedule of eligible works will be produced to enable you to obtain estimates for the works
- When you have obtained your estimates they should be submitted to HCS together with the appropriate Government application form
- Assistance with the above grant application process can be provided by our Advocacy and Support Advisor
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 person
- 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
Grant Conditions
Where a grant application is an "Owners Application" and a grant is approved for more than £5,000 a Local Land Charge will be registered against the owner of the dwelling who shall be required to repay such part of the grant that exceeds £5,000 (subject to a maximum of £10,000)
Directgov