Disabled Facilities Grant

[KezT]

This was a new one on me, but we've just made a succesful application for a disabled facilities grant for major adaptions to the house due to ASD.

 

In our case, the major adaption is basically rebuilding a bathroom from scratch, as ours is in a "lean to" and DS refuses to use it! But the grant is aimed at any physical adaption necessary due to disability, and applies to owned properties, which is pretty unusual.

 

I knew about that but didn't think we qualified because it is means tested to income support level - anything above basic IS puts you out of the running for the grant.

 

UNLESS, if you look very carefully at the very small print, the grant is for a disabled child - in which case the grant is NOT means tested. WOOT!!!

 

I was very dubious that we'd get it - especially in the current economic clmate. I was actually looking for a loan that we could pay back when we sell, but those are only available to over 60 year olds But got the paperwork through today

 

this is a statutory grant - if you qualify (which relies on an occ therapist's report to decide) the LA has to pay it! Usually people are refreed by OT/CAMHS etc, but I self referred.

 

definitely worth a try if you need any physical adaptions - they said they were expecting to redecorate to a nice white/sensory low key finish when they first saw the application (although I could have done that & funded that myself!), so obviously do deal with smaller issues too.

 

Max grant is £25,000!!!

[chris54]

If you go on the government web site it tells you all about Disabled Facilities Grants.

If you are a tenant, your landlord can apply on you behalf.

[lorryw]

I am pleased you have your grant.

I think it depends on your local authority (post code lottery yet again). We appled faor help with our bathroom taps. Our son regularly runs the taps upstairs and floods the floor and seeps through our kitchen ceiling. The OT was great but the chap from the council was very unpleasant, in a polite way, and wouldnt agree with the OTs suggestion. Upshot was we still have the occasional flood if we dont keep an eye on the taps. Our son is an adult with autism and severe learning difficulties but the chap didnt seem to regard that as a disability.

[JsMum]

I am pleased you have your grant.

I think it depends on your local authority (post code lottery yet again). We appled faor help with our bathroom taps. Our son regularly runs the taps upstairs and floods the floor and seeps through our kitchen ceiling. The OT was great but the chap from the council was very unpleasant, in a polite way, and wouldnt agree with the OTs suggestion. Upshot was we still have the occasional flood if we dont keep an eye on the taps. Our son is an adult with autism and severe learning difficulties but the chap didnt seem to regard that as a disability.

 

 

Have you got the refusal in writing? if not request the decision in writing, then appeal the decision and contact your local MP.

 

I would contest their reasons.

 

JsMumxxx

 

[Melinda]

We had a DFG in 2008 to convert our loft as our twins (both ASD and severe learning disabilities) were sharing a bedroom and as a result waking each other up at night from 2-3 a.m. onwards. We also had central heating put in under the same DFG as we had to move to a property that was able to be converted which did not have heating, and soundproofing put in the bedrooms on the walls adjoining the nieghbours.

 

The end result is great but I have a few words of caution.....

 

The application can take a long time - it was over 2 years from the time our need was identified until the work was started. We went 2 winters with no heating as a result.

 

If the cost of work exceeds the grant you have to pay the rest. We were not told the exact costing of the job (actually we were told it would not be a problem) until after we had moved to the property to be converted and ended up having to find £12500 on top. In the end some came from other grants, some from a charity and the rest a low cost loan scheme in place for such circumstances but it was incredibly stressful at the time.

 

Having said all that, we now have the boys in separate bedrooms and it has made a profound difference to the quality of our lives. We had no problem with the grants department understanding that the boys autism meant we needed the work doing but did have comments made by the building inspector during the job.