Fixed track hoists now covered under Housing Adaptation Grants in Ireland
New regulations in the Republic of Ireland will bring fixed track hoists within the scope of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Schemes.
Grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist people with a disability in carrying out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs, including provision of assistive technologies to make homes more accessible. Additionally grants of up to €6,000 are available for mobility aids. These schemes can now be used to cover the cost of installing a fixed track hoist.
Funding of over €83 million is being made available by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for these grants in 2023.
This change has been welcomed by Ireland Republic of Ireland Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell TD.
Minister O’Brien said: “I know just how important these grants are for people and I am delighted that I could extend the schemes to cover fixed track hoists which will benefit both the person with a disability and their carer. The €83M allocation for this year will build on the success of last year where we exceeded the number of home adaptations initially targeted.”
These scheme changes, which support home adaptations for older people, people with a disability, and people with mobility issues, will be funded through 80 percent exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with the remaining 20 percent in funding coming from the relevant local authority.
The grant schemes are means tested and operate on a sliding scale with the highest percentage grants available to those with the lowest incomes and vice versa. The administration of these schemes, including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment between the three schemes, is the responsibility of local authorities.
Minister O’Donnell added: “I very much welcome that fixed track hoists will now be covered under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes. These grants have a huge bearing on the home life of the many beneficiaries and play a critical role in helping disabled people and people who are reaching an age in life when they are less mobile, to continue to live independently in their own homes.”
In the Republic of Ireland, there are three grant types available to facilitate changes needed to make homes suitable for older people and people with disabilities:
- The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability scheme provides grants of up to €30,000 to assist people with a disability to have necessary adaptations, repairs, or improvement works carried out.
- The Housing Aid for Older People scheme provides grants of up to €8,000 to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out.
- The Mobility Aids Grant scheme is available to fast-track grants of up to €6,000 to cover a basic suite of works to address the mobility problems of a member of a household.
The commencement of legislation will bring fixed track hoists within the scope of the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability schemes, specifically within the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability scheme and Mobility Aids Grant scheme.
Earlier this year, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Kieran O’Donnell announced €83 million funding for Housing Adaptations Grants in 2023.