Disabled Facilities Grants Improve Residents’ Lives
The council is continuing its Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) scheme to support residents in need of home adaptations.
Between October and December 2024, 30 DFGs were approved for 42 adaptations, totalling almost £350,000. Three of these were for children, and they included adaptations on housing association properties, private landlord-owned properties and owner occupiers. In the same period, 38 DFGs were completed for 58 adaptations, totalling more than £670,000.
Last year a DFG helped a resident who needed an urgent home adaptation. The older resident, who had recently had an operation, was living on only one floor of her home. When her son was due to have his own hospital stay, she needed a stairlift and accessible bath. The entire process, from the initial request to the installation, only took a week and meant that the resident was able to stay at home rather than go into respite care.
A DFG is a grant of up to £30,000. It is means-tested and allows homeowners or tenants to have adaptations made to their homes, allowing them better freedom of movement and giving access to essential facilities within the home. The funding is provided by the government and can only be spent on home adaptations.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, deputy leader and lead councillor for housing and community wellbeing, said: “The work that our housing improvements team does is making a real difference to residents’ lives. The quick work to get the funding and work agreed is a great example of this. Making adaptations to homes can literally change someone’s life, and our housing renewals team is always keen to help make these changes where possible.”
Find out more about Disabled Facilities Grants and the process of applying on the council website: hastings.gov.uk/housing/improvement/dfg.
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