To ask the Minister for Social Development to outline the range of options available to people with a disability who are seeking to live independently within their community.

There are a range of options available that my Department funds to enable people with a disability to live independently within their community. They include:

Disabled Facilities Grants

Within the private sector, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) can offer a Disabled Facilities Grant to home owners, landlords and private sector tenants. The grant process begins with a recommendation from an Occupational Therapist from the Health and Social Services Board recommending works which would benefit the disabled applicant to remain at home; such works may include ramped access to the dwelling, replacing a bath with a suitable shower facility, extending the dwelling to incorporate a downstairs bedroom and bathroom. The maximum grant available is £25,000 although this can be extended to £50,000 with the approval of the NIHE where the works are deemed necessary.

In the 2013/14 financial year, the NIHE approved 1,177 Disabled Facilities Grants, completed 1,113 and spent £10.84m and continues to be committed to enabling persons with a disability to remain in their home.

Supporting People

The Supporting People (SP) programme came into effect in Northern Ireland on the 1st April 2003. It provides a single funding framework, for a range of housing support services, aimed at helping vulnerable people to live independently in the community. These include people with disabilities or who are vulnerable due to old age, learning disabilities or mental health needs.

Supporting People funded services enable the client to live independently in their own home by supporting them with a range of eligible housing related tasks. These include advice on security and safety in the home, maintaining the physical environment of the home, building on life skills, personal budgeting, benefits advice and Debt counselling.

Social Security Agency

The Social Security Agency provides a range of help through the benefits system to support people with disabilities to help them live independently in the community.

Community Care Grants which are available under the Discretionary Social Fund scheme are primarily intended to help vulnerable people live as independent a life as possible in the community. In the 2013/14 year the Agency made 20,121 Community Care Grant awards with a total expenditure of £13.69m. Claimants who are receiving Income Support, Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, State Pension Credit because they are moving out of care can be considered for a Community Care Grant. There is no requirement to repay a Community Care Grant.

Employment and Support Allowance provides financial help to people who are unable to work because of illness or disability. It also provides personalised support to those who are able to work by giving them access to a specially trained Employment Service Adviser and a wide range of further services including employment, training and condition management support. This is to help people manage and cope with their illness or disability at work. The amount of Employment and Support Allowance a person is entitled to depends on their individual circumstances.

Disability Living Allowance is a tax-free social security benefit for people with an illness or disability who need help with getting around, or help with personal care, or help with both of these. Disability Living Allowance consists of two separate components. The mobility component is payable at higher / lower rate. The care component can be payable at three different rates, high, middle and low. People can be receiving either the mobility component or care component or a combination of both. At May 2014 there were 198,310 recipients of Disability Living Allowance.