HELP COULD be at hand for those needing to make home adaptations to support children and adults with disabilities.
Solihull Council has gave the green light for a new Housing Assistance Policy at the Cabinet meeting on September 16.
The new policy gives the Council more flexibility in the use of funding to pay for housing adaptations to enable children and adults with care and support needs to stay in their own home and live independently for longer.
The funding, known as the Disabled Facilities Grant, enables adaptations such as widening doors and installing ramps for wheelchair access, adapting a current bathroom or bedroom or providing the means to access a garden safely.
It can also provide adaptations to help keep anyone with a permanent disability of any kind safe in their home.
Homeowners, private tenants and parents/guardians of disabled children can apply for a grant if the disabled person is living in the property.
Councillor Tony Dicicco, cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “I was pleased to see many positive comments about the policy and the opportunities it gives us to use the funding in more flexible ways.
“As an example, we can now fund approved adaptations beyond the old limit of £30,000 in defined circumstances, we can widen eligibility to include those in more difficult financial circumstances and make lower level adaptations easier such as lighting or safer property access.
“I would encourage residents to start making use of these new opportunities.”
To find out more about disabled facilities grants visit https://www.solihull.gov.uk/social-care-and-support/DisabilityFacilitiesGrant
