Announcement of €10m housing capital funding a boost for people with a disability- Keane

Fine Gael Senator for Dublin South West, Cáit Keane, has today (Wednesday) welcomed the news that an additional €10 million in housing capital funding for people with a disability is to be allocated this year by the Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan TD.
 
“I welcome this announcement by Minister O’Sullivan which will result in up to 90 extra units for those with disabilities and highlights this Government’s commitment to investing in housing for this sector. Capital funding of €100 million has been allocated for the provision of up to 800 new homes for people with a disability between 2012 and 2014, ensuring citizens have access to suitable accommodation in the areas where they live, giving them a safe and secure base. The Government recognises that the housing needs of people with a disability are a priority. 

“It is imperative that people with a disability have good quality accommodation which meets their needs as it is essential to ensure they can play a full, active role in the community. The Government last year published an implementation framework for the National Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities and today’s funding announcement is a sign of its ongoing commitment to this important matter.

“This funding is one of a number of measures available to house the disabled community. These include delivering the €100 million capital funding envelope which runs from 2012-2014, from which 800 new homes will be delivered in total; and €1 million which has been ring-fenced in 2013 to support a revenue-financed approach to deliver extra housing units for people leaving communal settings.

“The Implementation Framework for the National Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities through cross-departmental cooperation is a fundamental pillar of the delivery of key disability initiatives over the next three years and an annual report for the first year of implementation will be issued shortly.

“We can expect to see many more improvements being made to the lives of disabled people over the coming years through Government actions to deliver key commitments of the National Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities.”

ENDS