Post by gem on Jan 6, 2003 14:59:43 GMT -5
A children's charity has called on the government to change the rules for awarding housing grants because it says the system discriminates against
disabled children.
The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) provides funding to adapt homes, but only the poorest families qualify for the means-tested grant.
The charity, Homes Fit for Children (HFC), wants the law changed so children can apply for the DFG themselves.
Virginia Shaw, co-chair of the HFC steering group, said children were being denied a human right and the government must end "age discrimination".
A government spokeswoman said it couldn't allow children to apply because all of them would qualify for a 100 per cent grant, even if their parents were
millionaires.
But Shaw said: "I don't think millionaire parents really want to go to the bother and bureaucracy of applying for the DFG. But if some did, this would be
outweighed by the benefits to the disabled children who are currently suffering"
The call comes as new Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research* shows that 90 per cent of families with a disabled child have had a housing-related problem.
The research also found that families with a disabled child are more likely to live in poorer housing conditions than families on a similar income with a non-disabled child.
*Housing matters: national evidence relating to disabled children and their housing, Joseph Rowntree Foundation,2002.
disabled children.
The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) provides funding to adapt homes, but only the poorest families qualify for the means-tested grant.
The charity, Homes Fit for Children (HFC), wants the law changed so children can apply for the DFG themselves.
Virginia Shaw, co-chair of the HFC steering group, said children were being denied a human right and the government must end "age discrimination".
A government spokeswoman said it couldn't allow children to apply because all of them would qualify for a 100 per cent grant, even if their parents were
millionaires.
But Shaw said: "I don't think millionaire parents really want to go to the bother and bureaucracy of applying for the DFG. But if some did, this would be
outweighed by the benefits to the disabled children who are currently suffering"
The call comes as new Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research* shows that 90 per cent of families with a disabled child have had a housing-related problem.
The research also found that families with a disabled child are more likely to live in poorer housing conditions than families on a similar income with a non-disabled child.
*Housing matters: national evidence relating to disabled children and their housing, Joseph Rowntree Foundation,2002.