Disabled Facilities Grants
Disabled Facility Grants (DFG) are available to disabled persons who live within the borough of Rossendale, for adaptations to provide better facilities and freedom of movement in and around their home.
Where adaptations are necessary, a DFG offers help with the cost of providing these to the home, making it easier for the disabled person to continue living there.
Works covered under Disabled Facilities Grants include:
• Facilitating access to the dwelling and garden, to overcome or remove any obstacles, and
allow free movement around the property
• Making the dwelling or building safe, e.g. lighting or provision of a safe space
• Facilitating access to a living or family room
• Access to, or the provision of, a W/C, bath or shower (or both) and wash hand basin
facilities
• Facilitating accessible food preparation/cooking amenities
• Improving or providing a suitable heating system where necessary
• Providing accessible sockets, switches and controls for power, light and heat
• Allowing better access to care for a dependant resident in the dwelling
• To allow access to the dwelling through common-parts of a building
• Fixed hoists, stair-lifts, through floor lifts, external step lifts
• Windows openers
• Facilitating wheelchair access internally
Eligible Households
Both owner-occupiers and private tenants can apply for a disabled facilities grant. The applicant does not need to be the disabled person, but the applicant should make it clear on whose behalf the application is being made.
Housing Association and Registered Social Landlord tenants should contact their landlord in the first instance.
When applying for a grant, the applicant will be asked to sign a certificate stating that the disabled person intends to live in the property during the grant condition period. The grant condition period is currently five years.
Amount of Grant
All grant applicants, apart from children and where works are expected to be less than £10,000 will be subject to a ‘means test’ to decide how much, if anything, the applicant must contribute to the cost of the works.
The amount of grant given is the amount needed to meet the costs of the works over and above the applicant’s contribution.
There is however, a grant limit for mandatory grants which is currently £30,000, inclusive of fees. In some cases if the work exceeds £30,000, the Council have a further discretionary grant of a maximum of £30,000 where the work is deemed essential.
The grants process
Disabled facilities grants are available from the Council’s Housing Renewal Team. However, you are advised to make your first approach to the Adult Social Care department.
Adult Social Care will arrange for a Community Occupational Therapist or the Senior Medical Officer to assess the needs of the disabled person. If the disabled person is considered a priority case, they are categorised as ‘At Risk’.
If Adult Social Care decide that a grant is appropriate, the case will be referred to the Council’s Housing Renewal Team for a disabled facilities grant to be processed. Officers will be available to help you fill in the application forms.
Adult Social Care can be contacted on: Tel 0300 123 6720
Alternatively, please complete and submit the following form on Lancashire County Councils website: Request adult social care support - Lancashire County Council
Children’s referrals are sent to us by Inclusion East, who can be contacted on 01282 628 359