Hull City Council (HCC) has successfully secured £1.25m to help people who have a range of disabilities to live more independent life.
The council successfully bid for part the Department of Health’s £25m fund for Housing and Technology for People with Learning Disabilities. The money will be used to adapt existing homes and kit out those currently empty ready for a new occupant.
The first stage of the scheme will be the creation of a show home equipped with all of the available assistive technologies. People will be able to visit to test out the equipment and tech and discover what would benefit them.
Cllr Gwen Lunn, portfolio holder for Public Health, Prevention and Adult Social Care, said:
“This money will provide a very valuable opportunity to invest in the very latest technologies and equipment for supporting people to live independently. This could be through the latest developments like smart devices or the ‘internet of things’, or equipment that addresses physical requirements.
“We are currently making huge changes within the whole adult social care system, all of which are intended to provide people with the best possible opportunities to live well and live independently for as long as possible. This funding will absolutely support that. While the key benefit is that this will improve people’s quality of life, there will also be a knock-on effect of reducing the financial impact for adult social care, with fewer people entering residential care”.
Dave Richmond, Housing Manager, said:
“We’re delighted to have successfully secured this funding. It will allow us to fit out people’s current homes with equipment which will make a huge difference to their everyday lives, and also to specifically adapt empty homes ready for people to move into with technology and devices tailor made to meet their needs.
“The grant should be enough to adapt ten currently empty properties, ten new builds, and a number of homes people already live in. The outcome will be people living independently and staying in their homes for longer. Our housing stock will be significantly improved in terms of its ability to cater for people with a range of needs”.
The first stage of the project will be the creation of the show home within an empty council property. People with a disability, their families, social workers, occupational therapists and other relevant professionals will all be able to visit the home.
