Report into accessible housing finds lack of support for disabled young people
Joe Lepper
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Councils, housing associations and the private property sector are failing to support disabled young people to live independently, research by a group of youth campaigners has found.
The Locked Out report was put together by young people from the Trailblazers Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which is funded by the charity vInspired.
It found that information about grants and local authority support to ease the move to independent living is too often lacking, whilst social and private housing sectors regularly fail to take into account disabled young people’s needs.
Seven out of ten respondents told the researchers that councils have insufficient knowledge of their housing needs.
The report, which canvassed the views of 200 young disabled people, also found that many young people fear moving to another area to work or study because of local differences in funding and concerns about moving healthcare and support packages from one area to another.
Eight out of ten young people surveyed said they are not confident they would be able to access the same level of care and support if they moved out of their council’s area.
Councils are being urged to work with local housing providers, landlords, estate agents and disability groups to audit locally accessible housing for disabled young people.
The report meanwhile calls on local authorities to better promote the Disabled Facilities Grant – a means tested grant that can offer disabled young people up to £30,000 in England, or £36,000 in Wales, to carry out home improvements.
But it argues that the grant should no longer be means tested, because that forces many disabled young people to choose between improving their home or moving in with a partner.
Bobby Ancil, Trailblazers project manager, said: “You have this terrible situation where people are worried about moving areas because they will lose their care package and have to start again. This transition period needs to be much better managed and more flexible.
“One of our trailblazers reported that when they moved their direct payment stopped and for six to seven weeks they were supported through an inflexible and unsuitable package of care that meant they had to be in at 8am everyday to get help.”
The report also found that 85 per cent of young disabled people do not believe access advice given by estate agents, councils and other housing providers is accurate. A quarter reported that a landlord had refused to carry out minor disability-related adjustments or let them make their own changes.
