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New Funding to Support Independent Living for Older and Disabled People

Community_Scope

£50 million boost to help more people live independently at home

The government has announced an extra £50 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in 2025–26, helping around 5,000 more older and disabled people adapt their homes so they can live safely and independently.

The funding supports vital home improvements such as..

Stairlifts and ramps
Accessible bathrooms
Ceiling hoists and lifts
Smart technology for lighting and heating

This brings total DFG funding for 2025–26 to £761 million, helping around 60,000 people each year with life-changing home adaptations.

Home adaptations also help reduce falls, speed up hospital discharges, and ease pressure on the NHS.

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said..

"Thousands of disabled people will have their lives transformed thanks to the changes they’ll be able to make to their homes.

"This additional funding for the Disabled Facilities Grantis part of our commitment to break down barriers at home, at work, and across our public services for disabled people.

“From ministerial leads for disability in every department to investing £1bn a year in employment support by the end of the decade, disabled people are being given opportunities they have too often missed out on in the past.”

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Comments

Littlefatfriend

That's very good news CS.

A point which isn't discussed often enough in my opinion is that the privatisation of housing provision in this country by our first female PM (whose name must not be mentioned!) and related huge increases in the value of property have resulted in our sorely lacking adapted accommodation for our ageing and progressively more disabled population.

Private landlords only have disincentive to adapt accommodation as it'll likely reduce the range/number of people the accommodation will appeal to and they won't be allowed to charge more for it.

Gordon Brown (after Bliar had quit) introduced a public/private scheme to adapt and maintain properties which I took advantage of 15-16 years ago. It was a great help to me.

I chose the bungalow from the open market and paid 75% of the price (as I remember the maximum price I could choose was £120,000). My co-investor is a large supported housing company who own lots of care homes and employ their own full-time handymen/electricians/plumbers/gardeners etc. That scheme was a work of art and in the 14 years or so since it was stopped the lack of investment in adapting accommodation has returned.

Ramps were added by my co-investor to the front and back doors, the kitchen was all lowered etc, carpets replaced with laminate, new boiler/white goods, bath removed and turned into a shower room, they even replaced the double glazing, renewed the cavity wall/loft insulation, and decorated, all at no cost to me and exactly what I asked for. I pay them an affordably small rent which covers all my maintenance needs, and in 10 years time (after 25 in all) their 25% stake in the house will transfer to me.

As they will the Tories stopped it as soon as they got back in so I think the scheme only ran for a couple of years or so. I'm surprised I can't remember what the scheme was called. I'll add that if it occurs to me. They couldn't/can't change the contracts they set up with other people and I and the various companies involved, so my maintenance is guaranteed for as long as I live here.

Improvements to work environments are great news too.

I'm pleased to see positive things beginning to be announced. The wheels of politics and investment doth turn mighty slow... Here's hoping for the future!

🤞

JessieJ

As the final thing on the list of adaptations that I've just had done, is fitted tomorrow via the DFG, all life changing & bettering, I'm really pleased to read that the funding is rising. So many more can be added to the list & enjoy a safer, more independent home life.

Wibbles

The problem is that this funding is obviously going to be means tested - but at what level of savings ?

And £50m divided by 5000 applicants is only £10k per applicant - whilst this may sound a lot - it won't pay anything like the full cost of a properly constructed wet room or similar - again leaving the disabled individual with a financial problem.

JessieJ

@SwiftFox, the Disabled Facilities Grant does do major works, some mentioned in the opening post, in some cases, it could be an house extension. In England it is a maximum of £30,000, if the works cost more, there are charities that can help with the extra. That is according to the great guy in charge of my works & grant. You do have to be low income with savings the maximum of £6000, it doesn't affect benefits. It covers a whole host of disability needs, not just physical & also age related.

BTW, in Wales, the limit is £36,000

For the few aids you mention, an occupational therapist would & could arrange for them. An OT also comes round to see what bigger needs you have, like the major works & she forwards her recommendations for the grant.

Community Independence Teams can also arrange for various aids to help around the house & you don't pay for them.

JessieJ

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1095821#Comment_1095821

That's the trouble, Chris, have all the equipment which is needed, just need a spare room to store it all in & power sockets everywhere. Sounds like you could do with an extension to comfortably hold it all. Gus will get used to it & nab an armchair, if he hasn't already. 😁

Do hope that they come out soon to get the planning & measurements done quickly & it all works out for you, plus the wait isn't too long once the paperwork is in. 🤞

JessieJ

Just as well you don't mind a compact space then, @Chris75_, as long as you can get around with your powerchair & rollator.

As you say, the chair & bed shouldn't be a long wait & will already make a difference. Shame the pole didn't work out. Maybe ask the folk that do your kitchen if they could loosen the handle or catch a bit, maybe a mm or 2 less on the plate. Are you having an electrified kitchen 🤪 with height adjustable worktops & cupboards? I had a look at the catalogue of who were doing mine, the stuff that's around now is brilliant, it was Carespaces/Wealden Rehab.

Ah, you should still have some kitchen left whilst waiting, as I'm sure you won't have a 3 1/2 year wait, the Covid excuse has run out now. 😉

JessieJ

Hiya @Chris75_

I'm as South as you can go & in a city, so you're right, population is high where I am, so, thankfully, your wait won't be too long.

Do you think you need work tops & a sink that rises & lowers? Thinking of your future needs. I only needed one work surface that does & it is being well used. It does as your neighbour's sink does. I was expecting a crank handle, but things have moved on & they're now at the press of a button. Mine is all open, it was anyway, so nothing changed in that respect. They did remove the existing wall sockets that would be in the way & there's a now a built in pop/pull up 4 socket & USB ports built in.

Being in a council house, at least permissions are slightly quicker. I'm a council leaseholder, they slightly drag their heels, even though the guy in charge works for the council. He was bemused at that!

You should get all your needs covered, so do think on what you need now & later, like an auto opening front door would help you, now, as you're a powerchair user. There are probably other things & being a council tennant makes no odds, it's your needs & your grant.

Rachel_Scope

Hi @JessieJ, just a quick message to say I've just changed the word after USB to ports as otherwise it gets redacted by our filter!

JessieJ

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1096139#Comment_1096139

Thank you!

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1096227#Comment_1096227

Leaseholder for me is, I own a flat that is in a council block, so I pay service charges & ground rent, the latter is £10, the former a darn sight more & it's in Hampshire. Used to live in devon & popped over the bridge to Cornwall, a lot. Never been to Brighton, it may well be exotic, one building there is. 😉

I've just Googled to see if you have the same grant system, er…no! NI, Wales & England do on the .gov site. I was directed to a Scottish Government page though & it seems you do have a system there, not sure what it's called though, as the info wasn't up to date on that page, there was a pilot scheme in 2016/17 called Adapting for Change, so… Further look & there's another page that mentions funding for local authority tenants, by the local authority for essential adaptations & that seems the same & it goes via social work team & an OT that looks at your needs.

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1095810#Comment_1095810

There's a HUGE difference in costs of Adaptions and Extensions - depends which is being talking about

I mean an extension will cost FROM around £40k

An adaption could cost as little as £5k

JessieJ

It depends on what is needed, @Wibbles, if the adaptations, such as extensions, cost more than the grant, then it can be topped up by Discretionary Assistance from the council. There is also a top up grant with no maximum, plus there are charities that can help & the person in charge of the works apply to them. This is from the guy that was overseeing the works that were done for me. So there are means to have all adaptations. Plus, if your savings are more than the £6000 councils can still award the DFG at their discretion & if the works are desperately needed.

My adaptations came in at £17,500 ish, once quotes went in, even though all my works would come under the full grant amount, anything extra that cropped up outside of the quotes, went in under Discretionary Assistance too.

Obviously, all councils don't work the same, but they all have to work under The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996

JessieJ

Correction, my guy visited this morning for the final sign off & the total came to £22,025. I'm extremely grateful for every penny spent, totally life changing & bettering. So I'm really glad that more funding is going into it, as it doesn't matter if the works are big or small, it will make a huge difference to folks lives.

Rachel_Scope

I'm so glad that it's made such a difference for you @JessieJ.

JessieJ

Thanks, @Rachel_Scope, it was definitely worth the wait.

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1096598#Comment_1096598

But was your work a new extension or adaption of existing building ?

JessieJ

@Wibbles, it makes no difference what my work was, as, with works like an extension, as I've already posted, there are extra ways that the DFG is added to to cover it.

Seriously, more funding, more people could benefit & feel the relief that I am feeling right now, it's a win, whether big or little adaptations are needed!

@Chris75_, that is great news! It'll go someway to making you feel more comfortable & safer. It is exciting! Not quite like white water rafting, but exciting all the same & let's hope it doesn't stop.

Wibbles

Chris75_ Online Community Member Posts: 4,410 Championing January 20 edited January 20

I am at a loss as to what a council leaseholder is, I don't think we have such things here? I didn't get any kind of grant, well, if there is a grant, it is nothing to do with me, and all done by OT.

I could look up t'internet about leaseholders, but life is too short !

Are you in Cornwall then? I have never been that far south west. I have been to Brighton once. (How exotic, eh?). That is plain old south though. 😉

If you bought a former council flat or maisonette, either through Right to Buy or on the open market, you are likely to be a leaseholder. You'll have a legal agreement with the council (the “freeholder”) called a lease.

This means that you still have a few benefits - see https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/leaseholders for more !

RichardsP

I'm disabled and living in my partners privately owned outright home. Can this scheme help me? I've enquired with a few places, but they only deal with housing association/ council residents. I'm currently sleeping in the living room on a mattress over two sofas and using a bucket for toilet needs, the kitchen sink for washing and its very difficult to get in and out of the property as it has a large step, and means entering on my backside.

birdwatcher

Wonder what an 'older adult 'means? I'm 65 this year. But in my head I'm 40! My body's let me down. it must think I'm 100. Severely physically disabled. Awful as it sounds I haven't had a bath for about 4 years, I can't safely use it now. I have to **** wash but it's not the same. Sometimes I think a shower would be nice but at the moment the house is falling down about my ears,got a problem with subsidence which is supposed to be being sorted out. We're about five years in with that particular issue,all the legalities etc. It just drags on and on.So really I suppose it's not worth me even enquiring

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1099856#Comment_1099856

Yes - a ramp, bed and mattress def - but as for an accessible bathroom - I am unsure whether they look at your partners finances or your own - apply anyway, you've got nothing to lose