IWA Submission on Housing and Community

Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on providing an Adequate Standard of Living and Social Protection states that, “governments must ensure access by persons with disabilities to public housing programmes.”

The experience of IWA members who are wheelchair users in accessing social housing has not been positive. People who are wheelchair users typically spend long waiting periods on social housing lists with no timeframe within which to expect an offer of housing. Despite the ongoing implementation of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability there is still no strategically planned annual supply of fully wheelchair accessible properties. IWA’s guidelines in designing a fully wheelchair accessible property are set out in chapter 10 of IWA Best Practice Access Guidelines 4. IWA recommends that a property is designed to be sustainable over the lifetime of a person who is a wheelchair user as needs, use of mobility and exercise equipment and the requirement for personal assistance change.

In addition, the lack of personal assistance prohibits many people with disabilities from applying for social housing in the first instance, as they cannot live independently without the Personal Assistant support.  We refer you to Article 19 UNCRPD which states that persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home support services including personal assistance

IWA Recommends:

1. IWA recommends that Kilkenny Development Plan includes IWA’s Think Ahead, Think Housing campaign in their housing strategy. Think Ahead, Think Housing encourages people with disabilities to apply to their local authority to secure their future housing needs. We recommend that the Council advertises the campaign in local newspapers and local radio.
2. IWA recommends Kilkenny Development Plan commits that that all social housing projects supported by capital funding from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government deliver 7%  of integrated fully wheelchair accessible social housing units within choice locations that are accessible to community amenities and transport links.  Furthermore, the inclusion of fully wheelchair accessible design should be incorporated into each social housing project planning at stage 1 of the Capital Appraisal Process.
3. IWA recommends that Kilkenny City Development Plan promote innovative housing design models; eg those that incorporate the provision of an overnight room for personal assistants as well as the option of people with disabilities to share a tenancy with one or two other people on the social housing list.
4. IWA recommends mixed tenure developments or integrated housing which will ensure sustainability of all future housing in terms of a mix of people; their ages and backgrounds, ensuring that persons of different ages and persons with and without disabilities from all walks of life are part of all future housing developments.
5. IWA recommends that all future housing meet or exceed energy requirements.
6. IWA recommends that Kilkenny Council ensures that the expertise of people with the lived experience of disability is included in the development and roll out of the Housing Strategy for Disabled People.
7. IWA recommends that Kilkenny Council creates a register of accessible housing available from the local authority and Approved Housing Bodies in the area.
8. IWA recommends that Part M of the Building Regulations (2010) is reviewed to include mandatory provision for liveable wheelchair accessible housing.
9. IWA recommends that Kilkenny Council promotes IWA Best Practice Access Guidelines (4th Edition) as a standard of choice in all new building designs.
10. IWA recommends that Kilkenny Council develops a plan to make the approach and access to all housing complexes wheelchair accessible.
11. IWA recommends a review of the means testing of the Housing Adaptation Grant as it is out of touch with current building costs.
12. IWA recommends that KilkennyCouncil creates a database with the following information readily available:

1. Number of people on the housing list requiring supports to live independently. We recommend the HSE is informed of this requirement as they are responsible for the provision of PA support.
2. Number of people (requiring supports) in an offer zone. 
3. Number of people in the offer zone who have received the required supports within 6 months.
4. Number of people in the offer zone who have not received the required supports within 6 months.