To approve changes to the Housing Assistance Policy.

Changes are required to the Housing Assistance Policy in particular:

·        Increase in the threshold for non-means tested Disabled Facilities Grants from £5,000 to £6,000.

·        Applications for discretionary non-means tested Disabled Facilities are limited to one grant in any three year period.

·        Clarification is given to applications for assistance made on behalf of a disabled person under the age of 18 years old being non-means tested.

·        Prioritisation of interventions to facilitate hospital discharge based on advice from Occupational Therapists.

·        Provision of discretionary assistance to fund the cost of aids and adaptations to help people with dementia continue to live in their own homes.

·        Provision of further discretion for top up funding where the required works for a Disabled Facilities Grant are over £30,000.

·        Provision (pending approval from Management Team) of a discretionary fund to be available to support energy efficiency measures.

·        Energy Repayment loans have been removed.