Report on the Housing for People with a Disability Meeting – click here to download the PDF report
| Date: 24th March 2021
Time: 6.00pm – 8.00pm Facilitators: David Girvan – Representative on the DLR CoCo Housing & Disability Steering Group. Simone Sav – Network Manager for the DLR PPN |
The meeting started with a brief introduction of all the participants and their interest in the topic of housing for people with a disability.
David Girvan highlighted the fact that pillars of disability need to be considered. The Pillars of Disability were defined as follows:
- Physical Disability
- Sensory Disability
- Intellectual Disability (incl Autism!)
- Mental Health Disability
The meeting followed the structure of the new draft for the Strategic Plan for People with a Disability – the 9 chapters.
- Awareness & Promotion of the Local Plan
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Local Aims & Objectives – Key Aims of NHSPwD
- Quantify the Current Need and identify sources of Emerging Need
- Housing Types required
- Supports – Social and Care
- Risks and Barriers to Delivery
- How to Target Delivery
- How should targets and deliveries be Reported
The questions that were identified as important to consider throughout the meeting were:
- What are the housing needs that your group has identified and you would like to see included under a Strategic Plan for Housing People with a Disability?
- What are the funding requirements that you have encountered ?
- In your opinion, what are the risks and challenges to delivering housing for people with a disability?
- Are there any initiatives and projects that you would like implemented in DLR that you would like included in the Strategic Plan?
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| Feedback from participants |
- Identifying the need for greater understanding of disability on the part of the local community, the Local Authority and other Agencies:
- Disability can be something that people are born with, something acquired as a result of accidents, genetics, etc or as a normal result of ageing.
- A clear point was made that, as we age, we all face the reality of becoming disabled. It is important to bear this in mind.
- Disability needs to be normalised and expected.
- The different types of disability (mentioned at the beginning of the meeting) are not always considered by the local stakeholders.
- It is important that Senior Planners be informed about the various types of disability and needs.
- Identifying the real number of cases that would need housing:
- The prevalence of homelessness among people with a disability is not known.
- Homelessness among people with a disability can also mean that they live with their parents/ guardians/ family, even though they could have their own place, if resources and additional support were made available.
- Having a better understanding of the real need for housing for people with a disability would help bring the issue to the forefront of policy-makers.
- Hidden homelessness among people with a disability perpetuates the idea that it is always the family’s responsibility to care for a person with a disability.
- There are limited options when a family/ guardian/ parent can no longer care for a person with a disability.
- De-mystifying the process of applying for housing for people with a disability and widening the support given :
- It would be important to encourage people to apply for housing
- Forms should be made readily available
- Social care services could offer targeted programs to support people with the application process
- Lobbying for raising awareness at policy and decision-making level, both locally and nationally
- A platform is needed to raise awareness locally
- Communication between interested groups, parents, associations is important
- Identifying stories and creating a communication strategy to bring this issue to the forefront
- Sourcing and resourcing housing that is fit for purpose
- The need for new building, rather than retro-fitting
- The need for single storied properties fit for purpose
- The need for funding to be made available to those wishing to do the retro-fitting.
- Ergonomic design for buildings
- Creating a platform that enables people living with a disability to live as independently as possible
- Allowing for more adaptations to be made
- Ensuring that there is adequate transportation made available as not everyone would have the means of driving a car.
- Making a change
- An allocation target for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown is needed
- A specific annual budget should be allocated to this issue
- Clear objectives should be identified in the Local Authority, subject to updates
- Progress reports should be made available to the public.
Conclusions
The feedback captured and the ensuing report would be circulated to all participants, and the wider Public Participation Network, with a view of future meetings.
| Contact
Simone Sav [email protected] |