ALONE Respond To Alan Kelly’s Announcement Of €56 million For Housing Adaptation Grants

ALONE, the charity that supports older persons to age at home, welcome the announcement of €56.25 million funding for housing grants made by Ministers Alan Kelly and Paudie Coffey yesterday but remain acutely aware that it is significantly reduced from the €99.2 million allocated in 2010. ALONE also question whether this is additional funding or if it is the same €56 million announced in Budget 2016.

Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, commented “Since 2010 this funding has been cut by over €40 million despite the concept of supporting older people to age having cross party support and being included in various programmes for government.”

Moynihan continued, “It makes no sense that since 2010 the funding has been cut by over 40% when we have gained an additional 100,000 people over the age of 65 in this period. Any savings that have been made in the Department of Environment from these cuts are coming at a cost to the Department of Health. Ahead of the election we will be campaigning for the next government to prioritise supporting older persons to age at home and adequate grant funding is a vital component for this.”

ALONE state that the process of applying for vital housing adaptation grants needs to be fast tracked as it can currently take months for grants to be processed.

For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person in the community, ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032.