An email from the council's Housing Grants Section, seen by Kfm, details how, due to exceptional demand, the council will temporarily stop accepting new applications for Housing Adaptation Grants for Disabled People (HAGs), Mobility Aids Grants (MAGs), and Housing Aid for Older People Grants (HOPs).
Kildare County Council has been forced to halt new applications for its Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme after unprecedented demand outstripped available resources, even with a €4.9 million funding allocation this year.
The package - €4.9m from the Exchequer and €736,114 from the council - was designed to address soaring demand and long-standing backlogs, including urgent works such as window and door replacements, wheelchair accessibility, and stair lift installations.
An email from the council's Housing Grants Section, seen by Kfm, details how, due to exceptional demand, the council will temporarily stop accepting new applications for Housing Adaptation Grants for Disabled People (HAGs), Mobility Aids Grants (MAGs), and Housing Aid for Older People Grants (HOPs).
As of 29 August, €4,073,229 has already been committed or recouped, with €308,699 in pending approvals.
A remaining balance of €525,500 will be reserved for Priority 1 and emergency applications only.
Officials reported that around 1,000 grant applications have been received so far this year, compared with 800 in 2024, placing significant pressure on the Housing Grants Office.
Approximately 60 Housing Aid files and 150 Housing Adaptation files remain logged and will be assessed based on need, according to the email.
Any applications that cannot be processed in 2025 will be reviewed in 2026 when the budget is renewed.
Kildare South and Labour Party TD Mark Wall said: "There is significant demand for the Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme, and it has been vital in supporting older people and people with disabilities to live in their own home."
He added: "However, the pausing of the scheme due the high demand will only put older people and disabled people at further risk. We are now likely to see more people living in poorly adapted accommodation that limits their independence. I am already dealing with over 20 cases of people waiting for works to begin to adapt their home."
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