‘Additional money is needed for housing grants urgently’, Kildare Senator says

A Senator for Kildare South has once again raised the issue of funding for housing aid and housing adaption grants in the Seanad. 

Labour Party Senator Mark Wall was speaking earlier today following the receipt of a letter from Kildare County Council, which said that the Housing Aid Grant Scheme is now closed to new applicants due to the council reaching their funding threshold.

The Athy-based politician said: "Unfortunately, I have to bring up an old chestnut once again and it is probably the fifth time I have mentioned the housing adaptation and housing aid grants in the House.

"The reason I raise this today is because we have received letters from Kildare County Council that it has now spent all the money it has for these grants and it is refusing to deal with new grants.

It will process them but it cannot complete them, although it says it will do emergency works."

Senator Mark Wall (Labour Party).

He continued: "As I have always done in this case, I thank the staff who are dealing with this.

"I have been dealing with this issue for two years and I have been told there is a report on the Minister's desk, and we need to get that report out. We need housing grants and we need to make sure vulnerable people are cared for."

Senator Wall further told the Seanad: "Only yesterday, once again, I dealt with a family who cannot proceed with their much needed housing adaption because they simply have not got the money.

"In another case, the person has had to borrow from family to install a shower as they cannot use their bath even after the award of a grant, because they simply cannot afford the difference between the grant and the cost of the housing adaption.

"We now have the situation where housing aid grants have stopped for new applications because the funding has been committed.

"The Minister for Housing needs to allocate more funding for housing aid to Kildare County Council, but he also needs to publish the report that he states he has for two years now and commit to additional funding for housing adaption by changing the limits of this grant."

"We need people to continue to live in their homes with a proper standard of living," Senator Wall concluded.

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LETTER FROM COUNCIL

Senator Wall also provided a copy of the aforementioned letter to the Leinster Leader, which can be read below:

Dear Senator Wall,

Please be advised that the Housing Aid Grant Scheme is now closed to new applicants due to us reaching our funding threshold.

We will continue to process applications on our waiting list.

We will accept emergency applications which will be considered on a case by case basis.

Emergency works open for consideration consists of the following

1) Failure of a heating system
2) Emergency structural repairs
3) Emergency electrical works