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An extra £68 million will help thousands more disabled people to access grants to improve their homes so they can live independently, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing Kelly Tolhurst has announced today (3 December 2020), the International Day of People with Disabilities.

The additional funding for councils will help people make the adaptations they need to live safely and independently in their own homes.

The Disabled Facilities Grant funding can be used towards the costs of home adaptations such as stair-lifts, level access showers, wet rooms, winches, grab rails and ramps. These can play a critical role in avoiding the need for hospital or care home admission, as well as helping to speed-up discharge from hospital.

This funding is in addition to the £505 million paid to councils in May 2020, increasing the overall government investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant to £573 million this year.

With Spending Review 2020 investment of £573 million in the Disabled Facilities Grant for 2021 to 2022, government has now confirmed over £4 billion funding for the grant since 2010.

This is part of the government’s comprehensive programme to better integrate health and social care services. Today details of the £4 billion Better Care Fund were also confirmed � setting out how councils may use this funding to deliver effective care and support for people in their communities.

Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Kelly Tolhurst said:

I’m pleased that extra funding announced today, on the International Day of People with Disabilities, will see thousands more people benefit.  This grant can be literally life changing and lengthening, helping more people to live independently in their own homes.

Since 2012 over 280,000 home adaptions have been funded through the Disabled Facilities Grant Scheme helping many tens of thousands of people to live at home independently.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said:

This grant will help hundreds of thousands of disabled people across England to live more independently in their own homes and improve their quality of life.

I know this year has been incredibly difficult for disabled people in particular and I’m pleased that, on the International Day of People with Disabilities, we’re able to provide this additional funding.

The Disabled Facilities Grant is a really important part of our ambition to reduce health inequalities and support more people to live healthy, independent lives for as long as possible.

The Disabled Facilities Grant forms part of the Better Care Fund, a fund which brings together local government and health partners to jointly plan and pool budgets to support integrated care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how health and social care systems can come together and focus on the public’s health and care needs. This announcement is part of the government’s ongoing work to address disparities across society, and its commitment to ensuring that health and care systems work effectively together at a local level, and the Better Care Fund is a key part of this integration.