disabled facilities grant

[sharon_16101234]

Hi,
has anyone had any experience with applying for a disabled facilities grant. My mother currently lives with myself and 5 others, she is struggling with the stairs. We have been assessed and she is financially eligible for a grant, good news I say.
Our stairs are not suitable for a stair lift, so now we have to look at a through floor lift which will be in my lounge and go up into the bedroom which she shares with my 16 year old son.
The bad news !! If our house is suitable, which I cant see why it isn't, then the lift will go in the bedroom and they expect my son to move out of the room to facilitate this. When I raised my concern to the gentleman on the phone he reminded me that they were only concerned about my mother.
Am i being unreasonable, but where am I supposed to put my son.
We are already using the loft room, which isn't built to building regs. but was built before we purchased house.
Oh and he also said the housing people would visit to see if they can rehouse us. We have no equity and no savings. And, actually want to care for mother at home and she doesn't want to go into care.
This really doesn't seem fair and taking into consideration how much it would cost the local council to provide mum with full time as shes not fully independent and only has a government pension and no savings.
I'm at the end of my tether and never asked for any help and worked all my life, surely this doesn't promote anyone's independence and quality of life.
ANY ADVICE ?

[bowlingbun]

Ask the council for more details about rehousing you. What they might be saying is that it would be cheaper to move your family to another property than make adaptations to your existing home. In which case it should be big enough for everyone. I've known this done in the past, elsewhere. If you have no equity in your existing property and no savings, it might even work out to be better for you in the long run. Just make sure they are including everyone.

[sharon_16101234]

With a grant of £30,000 tops I struggle to see how they can find us a 5 bedroom house that accommodates mum down stairs, plus the cost of moving, costing less than the grant. Why is it the harder you work the less you get. I won't accept that they can expect me to have a lift and not anywhere for my son to sleep, looks like I got a battle ahead.

[bowlingbun]

I think they might be offering to rehouse you in a property either owned by them or rented to them. Don't dismiss what they are saying without finding out exactly what they are proposing. It might be the best offer you ever have!

[SeasideDeb]

Having been through a disabled facilities grant all I can say is - be prepared to go to war! My husband had a ramp built for the front door and a wetroom created from the bathroom which took 2.5 years all told & nearly drove me to a breakdown. It would have taken a lot longer had I not spent copious hours on the phone chasing them up & getting help from the MP & my husband's consultant.
No, they will not be interested in anyone except for the disabled person. That isn't their problem. You either accept what they are planning or you don't - your choice. When they built my husband's ramp to the front door they closed off the front garden. This had a three foot wall round it opening out by the front door. The builder suggested a gate in the railings around the ramp to allow access for cutting the grass etc but apparently they weren't prepared to do that. How I got in to cut the grass was not their problem. The idea of a barely 5 foot tall woman having to climb railings which were chest height & then also lug over a lawnmower & later the clippings back again wasn't their problem. We ended up getting the area paved (our expense) so I only have to climb over a couple of times a year to trim bushes.
Where is the harm at seeing what the council come up with for rehousing? They may purchase a property for you which they can adapt better than your current home. Or maybe already have one on their books which can accomodate a stair lift. You might as well see what they have on offer & keep your options open.
Do be prepared for this to be a drawn out process whichever course you take.