What is a Disabled Facilities Grant?
A Disabled Facilities Grant helps towards the cost of adapting your home to help you to be more independent or your carer manage more easily. This may be getting about your home, doing everyday tasks such as bathing, going up and down stairs, or getting in and out of the house.
Adaptations can only be considered after your difficulties have been assessed, they are usually the last resort after such options as rehabilitation are considered. Adaptations that cost less than £1000 are usually arranged by social services.
Who can make an enquiry?
Anyone living in the Bradford Metropolitan District (or caring for someone) who has a permanent and substantial disability, and who has significant difficulties managing everyday tasks within the home.
How do I ask for an assessment?
Contact the Occupational Therapy Service and then arrangements will then be made for an occupational therapist to visit you at home to discuss your needs.
If the Occupational Therapist agrees that an adaptation to your home meets the Council's guidelines and criteria they will discuss the funding options with you.
If you own your own home you may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant or if you live in rented accommodation we will contact your landlord to discuss the adaptations.
Will I have to pay for the adaptation?
A Financial Assessment Officer will help you fill in a form requesting details of your income, benefits, savings etc. A ‘Test of Financial Resources’ will then determine how much, if anything, you are likely to be asked to contribute towards the cost of the adaptation.
If the disabled person's resources are less than this assessment or they are on Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance, then they will not normally have to contribute to the cost of the works.
If the disabled person’s calculated income is more than the assessment, then a proportion of their income will be used to calculate the size of the contribution they can afford to finance the works.
If the adaptations are for a disabled child then there is no financial assessment for the disabled facilities grant.
What can I get help for?
The Occupational Therapist will have assessed which adaptations are ‘necessary and appropriate’ and a Home Improvement Officer from Private Sector Housing will also visit to check the work is ‘reasonable and practicable’. This may involve you considering adaptations that you do not want.
The grant is Mandatory (will be automatically approved) for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement into and around your home and access to essential facilities within it such as:
- Taking a bath out and installing a shower
- Installing a stair lift or providing a downstairs bathroom
- Widening doorways and installing ramps
- Improved access to enable the disabled person to care for a child or spouse etc
- Ensuring the safety of the disabled person by, for example, fitting gates to stairs or safety glass in doors and windows
- Changing the heating system, or adding more heaters where this is necessary for your disability
The mandatory grant is subject to a maximum of £25,000 (less any client contribution)
What happens if my home cannot be adapted?
Sometimes it is not structurally possible to make alterations to the home. In such cases we will explore, with you, other options, for example re-housing and we may ask the Disabled Persons Housing Service (DPHS) to contact you if appropriate.
Removal Assistance up to a maximum of £5,000 can be considered to help you move to a more appropriate house if this is the best option.
Contact Information:
For further information or to make an enquiry about Disabled Facilities Grants please contact either:
Private Sector Housing
Adaptations Team
Usher Street
Wakefield Road
Bradford
BD4 7DS
Telephone: 01274 434520
Fax: 01274 434159
or
Occupational Therapy Service,
Housing Options Team
Usher Street,
Wakefield Road,
BRADFORD,
BD4 7DS
Telephone: 01274 433723
