Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to enable the provision of mandatory and discretionary grant assistance for eligible Coventry residents to enable them to live safely and independently in their home. This will ensure people’s homes are safe, adequately heated and can help people relocate to alternative accommodation if their current home is not able to meet their needs. It will enable additional help in the form of flexible Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) arrangements to be provided that would not be possible under a mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant.
The assistance will be provided through the Disabled Facilities Grants under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the 1996 Act) as amended by the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 (the RRO). The RRO and ODPM Circular 05/2003 require that the Council must first adopt a Housing Assistance Policy before the discretionary grant assistance can be deployed using DFG funding.
Coventry City Council plan to give notice of the Housing Assistance Policy by publishing an article in Your Coventry (Citivision). Your Coventry is a magazine delivered to the residents of Coventry with news, views and features about the work of the Council. Information will also be shared in community venues across the city such as GP surgeries and libraries.
The Housing Assistance Policy will be available on the Council's website. It will also be available at the Council House free of charge during opening hours. Furthermore, copies are available by post on request.