The National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011 - 2016, published in 2011, and the associated National Implementation Framework, which are joint publications by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Health were developed as a part of a coherent framework, in conjunction with the A Vision for Change (the Government's mental health policy) and a Time to Move on from Congregated Settings (the Report of the Working Group on Congregated Settings) to support people with disabilities in community based living with maximum independence and choice.
The vision of the Strategy is to facilitate access, for people with disabilities, to the appropriate range of housing and related support services, delivered in an integrated and sustainable manner, which promotes equality of opportunity, individual choice and independent living.
The Strategy expects while acknowledging the challenges that this should be achieved within the mainstream housing environment. The core goal of the Strategy is to meet the identified housing needs of people with disabilities locally whether they are currently living in the community and or in a congregated setting.
The four categories of disability referred to in the Strategy are:
(a) sensory disability
(b) mental health disability
(c) physical disability and
(d) intellectual disability
The National Implementation Framework includes the following strategic aims
Housing authorities will develop specific strategies to meet the identified housing needs of people with physical, intellectual, mental health and sensory disabilities locally. These strategies will be informed by the assessments of housing need and broader formalised consultation with relevant statutory agencies, service users groups and disability organisations. These strategies will form an integral part of local authority Housing Services Plans and will promote and support the delivery of accommodation for people with disabilities using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms.
In line with the development of specific disability housing strategies, housing authorities will consider reserving certain proportions of units to meet specific identified need within each disability strategy.
It is intended that the strategy will form an integral part of the Housing Services Plans and will promote and support the delivery of accommodation for people with disabilities using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms. This strategy will also support longer term strategic planning.
This document that has been prepared by the Housing and Disability Steering Group aims to fulfil the requirements of the Strategy and provide the local authority and other housing providers with information that will help to inform and guide housing provision for people with a disability over the next number of years.

Kilkenny Strategic Plan for Housing People with a Disability -2016-2020 PDF.pdf (size 803.5 KB)

Kilkenny Strategic Plan for Housing People with a Disability - 2016-2020 WORD.docx (size 0 B)