A view of houses in Thamesmead, south east London
A DISABILITY rights campaigner has spoken of the postcode lottery faced by housing association tenants when applying for home adaptation grants.
The Department of Health announced last week a £86 million boost to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for this financial year.
JoAnn Taylor, of Salford Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), said the announcement was misleading as the extra funding is means-tested and won’t benefit many housing association tenants who will still have to pay for much-needed adaptations.
Ms Taylor told the Morning Star that housing associations can have varying policies on DFGs and that hers can claim only 50 per cent of the cost of any major adaptation from the government and has to pay the rest.
“This has led to refusals of recommended wet rooms and other adaptations even when in feasible properties,” she said.
“I had multiple refusals for the recommended wet room from ForHousing yet I lived in a feasible property, then a wet room was installed under our noses for the neighbour next door — an identical house in the same housing association, but not done for me.”
More than 50,000 people have signed her petition calling for government to fund 100 per cent of the DFG scheme.
She said: “This detrimental policy has caused me immense distress.
“Under the new 50/50 funding rules, I have been moved property four times in nine years, and wasn’t helped even when in a feasible property to which ForHousing had moved me and my carer (my fiance).
“This new [splitting of the grant] has forced me and my fiance to live apart for three years so far — the system is clearly not working.”
ForHousing was contacted for comment.
