There are times when a home is not suitable for people. A home should be a place suitable to the needs of its occupant(s). There is the suite of Housing Adoption Grants for people with a disability. It provides money to those with disabilities or mobility issues to make their homes safer to live in subject to a viability test and can be applied for through your local authority.

Types of works under the scheme may include (but are not limited to)

• The provision of grab rails
• Access ramps / stair lifts
• Level access showers and stairs
• Adoptions to facilitate wheelchair access
• And any other works that may be necessary to facilitate the mobility needs of the applicant.

For a complete list, contact your Local Authority as the scheme is administered by your local authority.

The effective maximum grant under the scheme is 30,000 euro, which may cover up to 95% of the approved cost of works. Again contact your local authority for full details as GRANT AMOUNTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE FUNDING OF EACH LOCAL AUTHORITY.

Applicants who are eligible to apply are those that require adaptation works more suitable to their accommodation needs or a home owner on behalf of a person with a disability who is a member of the household.

What is considered as accommodation needs is subject to a means test, where applicants will be assessed on household income.

When applying for the grant, you must also provide the following;

• Your tax reference number
• Details of your tax district
• A statement that, to the best of your knowledge, your tax affairs are in order.

Grants will be calculated based on quotations that it considers necessary -2 itemised quotations from contractors, indicating the cost of work required must be submitted.

You can apply from your Local Authority website by downloading an application form or ask your Local Authority to post an application form to you. The form will contain detailed information on the schemes condition and a checklist of documents that you must include.

For further information on this, please contact your  Local Authority or Citizens Information