National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011 - 2016

Table 8.3 Disabled Persons / Essential Repairs / Housing Adaptation Grants 2000– 2010 56YearNo. of GrantsExpenditure€2000 3,646 27,693,0002001 4,883 41,736,0002003 5,932 52,599,0002003 5,739 50,481,0002004 5,222 45,814,0002005 6,130 52,855,0002006 6,669 57,390,0002007 7,770 71,258,0002008 12,094 94,885,0912009 11,434 79,562,5842010 13,885 98,920,0008.14 It should be noted that expenditure on disability specific grants over the period 2002– 2010 amounted to €452.7 million. This equates to over 50,000 grants paid to assistpeople with disabilities to adapt their homes to suit their needs.8.15 A revised suite of adaptation grant schemes was implemented in late 2007 with thekey objective of targeting available resources to those in most need. The new schemesprovided for increased grant levels and a more streamlined operational approach acrosslocal authority areas. While the schemes are very successful in addressing the accessibilityissues of many people with disabilities and older people, the level of funding required tomeet demand has risen substantially in recent years and it is certain that demand willcontinue to increase as many older people develop age related mobility problems andincreasing numbers of younger people with mobility impairments seek to live independently.This will have implications for future budgetary provision and it is now timely to examine thepolicy of retrofitting existing dwellings in the longer term and the cost effectiveness ofdesigning in features during construction rather than altering dwellings at a later stage. It isimportant to note, however, that as the great majority of the housing stock available for theforeseeable future is already built, retrofitting will continue to be an important issue whichwill require prioritisation of capital funding. An evaluation of the administration and56The Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability replaced the DisabledPersons & Essential Repairs Grants Schemes on 1 Nov 2007.86