Technology and adaptations in your home

Disabled Facilities Grants and Repairs Assistance Grants

Adapting a home can be very expensive. A grant can, depending on certain conditions, help to meet all or some of the cost. The Care and Repair team can help you access funding from council in line with the Housing Renewals Policy. You can find out more about the policy on the council’s Disabled Facility Grant Policy page.

This includes supporting you in obtaining funding for home adaptations for disabled facilities. Funding can be used for installing stair lifts, level access showers, ramps and in some cases, small extensions.

Grants can help repair serious house damage or help with the installation of boilers and central heating.

In certain situations, grants also support people with disabilities to move house. Or it can also support with hospital discharge, or with deep cleaning and home de cluttering.

Care and Repair also installs minor aids and adaptations following Occupational Therapy referrals. This includes grab rails and half steps.

Where grant funding is not available, the Care and Repair team can help you find funding in other ways.

This can include:

• accessing charitable funding, benevolent fund etc
• maximising your benefit entitlement by identifying shortfalls and assisting with a new claim
• referring you to other services that can provide immediate support. This can include support with household chores, or befriending services.

The Care and Repair team also provides a self-funded service for those who do not qualify for a grant.

Care and Repair caseworkers

Care and Repair caseworkers will be your main point of contact. Work that they can do includes:

• fitting items of equipment including assistive technology
• helping people to obtain funding via Local Authority grants
• establishing eligibility and means testing where applicable

Care and Repair surveyors

Care and Repair surveyors work with vetted building contractors and equipment suppliers. The surveyors carry out the following roles:

• visit your home to assess the suitability of adapting your property to meet your needs
• survey your home in respect of all repairs and adaptations
• provide schedules and specifications of work required on your home
• manage contracts on your behalf including overseeing the contractors
• project manage work from conception to completion
• visit to ensure work is completed and that you are happy with the work and the contractors are paid

Peterborough City Council Handy Person Scheme

The Handy Person scheme offers support to homes occupied only by vulnerable, older and/or disabled people.

The scheme can help maintain and repair the home. They can also assist people to continue to live independently in their home.

They mainly offer support with small non-urgent repairs.

You can find out more on the Handy Person Specification.

To contact the Handy Person Scheme call 01733 863860

Email: careandrepair@peterborough.gov.uk