Press Release

JRF welcomes end to home grants means test for parents of disabled children

28 October 2005

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has welcomed the announcement by Housing Minister Baroness Andrews that a resources test applied to those seeking help with home adaptations will no longer affect parents of disabled children.

The Foundation's research over many years has highlighted the critical importance of getting the home environment right for disabled children. The evidence has also shown that their families experience far greater problems with housing than similar households with non-disabled children.*

The effect of the test of resources for disabled facilities grants was to leave many parents with an invidious choice, They could either proceed with home adaptations and face serious financial pressures, or abandon their plans and deny their child a living environment that would better foster their development and independence.

Lord Richard Best, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:

"This is excellent news, not just for the families concerned but for society as a whole. By removing a crucial barrier to families resolving their housing difficulties, the government has opened up the prospect of improving disabled children’s life-chances not just today, but throughout their lives. This will have positive knock-on effects for years to come."

Issued by David Utting, JRF Associate Director (Public Affairs) 020-7278 9665 | david.utting@jrf.org.uk