The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) has rolled out a new local pilot project across County Louth to support social housing planning for people with disabilities.
The project will assist people in the county who are living with a disability who require social housing but don’t know where to begin or are struggling with the application process.
The initiative is being led by Irish Wheelchair staff in Louth who are responding to the needs of people with disabilities across the county.
Irish Wheelchair Association Service Manager for Louth, Sara McKeown who is based in Drogheda, said: “For this new plan we will identify people in our services who have a housing need and support them with their social housing application form, which can be very daunting for some.
“There are often multiple sections to complete alongside supporting documentation. So, the whole thing can be quite challenging for someone with a disability who is already busy with their day-to-day, often living in a home that is unsuitable and dangerous for a wheelchair.”
“We will also support people who are on the social housing list and help them establish their status on the list”, she said.
“When you are on the local authority housing list it is important to continue to engage with the housing department, not just sit and wait for the years to pass. So we can support people with that element too, because it can be draining and confusing.”
Among those at the launch last week was Brona O’Reilly from Louth Co Council who are supportive of the initiative and available to help where possible.
IWA Area Manager Declan Hamilton said: “Social housing is the only viable housing option for many people with disabilities and the process is relatively straightforward once you know what to do. So we want to support people as best we can to get the home they are entitled to.”
Jean Coleman, IWA National Housing Programme Manager, said “Through this initiative in Louth we also hope to reach out to the HSE and other local disability organisations in the county and promote social housing applications through our ‘Think Ahead, Think Housing’ campaign.
People can learn more here www.iwa.ie/thinkhousing
