COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 08, 2010

MOTION NO.14

 

MOTION: Councillor E. Walsh 2009

That this Council, noting the backlog of requests for specially adapted housing for those with a physical and/or mental disability (many of which are severe and have been designated as 'medical priority' by the Council's Medical Officer) undertakes to carry out a review of the operation of the system and that it prepares a report explaining the following :

1. The numbers on the waiting list to date.

2. The waiting time past and future for those applicants.

3. What level of urgency is undertaken by the Council to clear this backlog.

4. The level of funding required to do same.

5. What use is being made of the large numbers of vacant properties owned by the Council or othewise, to deal with this problem and that the Council undertakes to commit an urgent review of the system.        

REPORT:

The Council's Medical Referee awards medical priority for the provision of specially adapted accommodation.  When priority for this type of accommodation is awarded the application is recorded on the waiting list for such accommodation and the process of fulfilling the need commences.  Every application is unique and it is necessary for the Council's Architect, along with the relevant Occupational Therapist and the applicant themselves, to examine in detail the specific needs of the individual and their family, ascertain the detail of the accomodation required and where this can be accommodated in as short a time as possible, within the social housing construction programme or by other means. 

Experience has shown that the provision of purpose built accommodation to suit the individial applicant's needs is the optimum solution and it is also the preferred option of applicants. Such accommodation is set in a family sized environment to ensure that the needs of the special applicant are incorporated in an integrated way within the overall housing need of the family group. On the rare occasion when a casual vacancy occurs, which may be suitable for specially adapted accommodation, this is also examined and appropriate adaptions made if at all possible to cater for the need. 

A total of 18 applicants were housed in purpose-built accommodation last year.  Fourteen further applicants have been awarded overall priority for specially adapted accommodation. The average waiting time up to now for such accommodation is twenty four to thirty months.  This would be the average timescale for completion of individual need assessment, design of required accomodation, the necessary statutory procedures and construction of units on site as part of a programmed social housing scheme.  In the past, an applicant who was waiting on accommodation longer than this was usually due to restriction of their areas of preference, to one particular area.

Of the fourteen applicants currently waiting on specially adapted accommodation, three are due to be housed in their newly constructed accommodation by mid 2010, which will leave a backlog of eleven applicants to be accommodatied. 

Due to reducing levels of capital allocation for new-build social housing, no new schemes have commenced on site since 2008.  This obviously has a considerable impact on the options available to the Council  to meet the specially-adapted housing need. It is hoped that following a meeting with the Department of Environment & Local Government in March, that approval will be forthcoming for a number of small infill schemes to commence in 2010 and 2011, through which we can facilitate some of the remaining approved applicants.