A Donegal woman is enjoying a much more comfortable life at home after making key renovations with the Housing Adaptation Grant.
In 2021 “Lily” availed of a Housing Adaptation grant from Donegal County Council, and it has made a major difference.
The grant allowed her to add an accessible bedroom and a bathroom to her family home. Without these, she believes she would have had to move to a nursing home.
The Housing Adaptation Grant administered through Donegal’s Housing Department caters for people with a disability and is available to assist with works to make a house more suitable for a person with a disability who is a member of the household.
Interiors works carried out on Lily’s home through Donegal County Council’s Housing Adaptation Grant
Interiors works carried out on Lily’s home through Donegal County Council’s Housing Adaptation Grant
Lily’s existing property is the house that she grew up in with her parents and, it being an older property, it did not offer the ability to provide for her needs within the existing structure. The adaptations have benefitted Lily in her everyday living and also means that she was able to remain in her own home rather than having to go into a care home.
Lily said, “it has made a tremendous difference to my life in that I was finding it difficult to climb the stairs. I have just had surgery and if the works weren’t complete, I would have had to go to a nursing home to recover. My daily life is so easy now, everything is downstairs and I have no reason to go upstairs anymore. I now live within the three downstairs rooms. I wouldn’t have been able to complete or even take on the works without the assistance of the Housing adaption Grant. I don’t know what I would have done without it. I don’t think I would have been able to stay in the house without the adaption works and I didn’t want to leave because this is my home”.
Exterior works carried out on Lily’s home through Donegal County Council’s Housing Adaptation Grant
Alongside the Housing Adaption Grant, the following grants are also available;
- The Mobility Aids Grant which is available to help carry out basic works necessary to make a house more suitable for a person with a mobility problem.
- The Housing Aid for Older People Grant available to help older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out.
If anyone finds themselves in a similar situation to Lily, they are advised to contact Donegal County Council’s Housing Department (074-9153900) who can advise on eligibility etc. or check out further details on our website at https://www.donegalcoco.ie/services/housing/housinggrants/
