Elderly Galwegians on low incomes are living in “damp and dangerous accommodation” because approved funding for essential repairs is not being released by the Department of Health.
This is the view of the Mayor of Galway Cllr Padraig Conneely, who said grants to valuing €250,000 have been approved for essential repairs to the homes of c30 elderly people under the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme.
A delay in the transfer of the responsibility for the administration of the scheme from the HSE to the housing section of the Galway City Council has resulted in a freeze on funding.
Mayor Conneely described this as “yet another attack on the elderly by the Government” and called on the Department to issue the funds immediately so that elderly people are not left in “hazardous conditions”.
The Mayor said that while the majority are waiting for their grants, some are believed to have proceeded with the work and are now “out of pocket pending the receipt of the funds”.
The Housing Aid for Older People Scheme provides between 30 per cent and 100 per cent of the cost of essential repairs to the dwellings of people aged over 60, determined on the basis of household income. The grants allow for roofing repairs, repairs to doors and windows, as well as the construction of downstairs bathrooms.
“It seems that the elderly have been targeted as the section of society,” said Mayor Conneely, “who must pay the price for the Government’s mismanagement of the economy.”
