£4.7 million programme to help residents live well and independently

Article date: 7 August 2024

A total of £4.718m is ringfenced for housing and health related initiatives and interventions under this annual programme, including £3.463m from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - now called the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - for the delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant scheme, which supports residents to live well, safely and independently in their own homes.

The wider programme also supports vulnerable residents who need additional financial help to combat hazards in the home and poor energy efficiency. Empty homes are also targeted, with the programme funding costs associated with compulsory purchases and enforcement for problematic long-term vacant properties.

Recently, the council's Affordable Warmth Service was able to help an 82-year-old resident who lives alone, suffers from vascular dementia and other health conditions, and consequently was struggling to live independently in her own home.

The Affordable Warmth Service visited following a referral from Environmental Health and found the house to be in a poor state. The service arranged for the resident to receive respite care while a deep clean of the property was carried out and a team of Home Improvement Agency officers and private contractors got to work repairing the leaking roof, guttering and a collapsed bedroom ceiling, servicing the boiler after a 15-year lapse, checking the electrics, replacing the damaged front door and more.

Following the work, the resident returned to her home, with the repair issues addressed and an enhanced Adult Social Care and support package in place, all of which will enable her to stay in her own home for longer.

During 2023/24, the Housing Capital Programme also delivered:

• 551 Disabled Facilities Grants, including the delivery of 225 level access showers and wet rooms, 62 ramps and access works to properties, installation of 213 lifts and hoists, and 9 property extensions.
• Housing Financial Assistance was allocated to 56 properties for major heating improvements and other works to remove hazards.
• 47 properties received thermal insulation.
• 87 properties received Emergency Fund Minor Works, with the majority relating to heating system repairs and controls.
• Minor structural adaptations were carried out at 461 properties, including installation of external steps and rails.

Councillor Trisha Long, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Supporting Neighbourhoods, said:

"Supporting our residents to live well at home for as long as possible is one of our council's key commitments. The link between our home and our health cannot be overstated. Living well, independently and in good health, particularly in later life, depends on our ability to get around our homes when our mobility is affected, to properly heat our homes in the colder months, and to ensure that our homes are safe and secure.

"This reduces the likelihood of trips and falls, the risk of winter deaths and respiratory illness from cold or damp homes, the need for additional domiciliary care and much more, promoting good health and independence and alleviating fuel poverty across our communities.

"The range of support we can provide through the Housing Capital Programme can be truly life-changing, particularly for our most vulnerable residents."