The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 (NHSDP) sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, State Agencies and others involved in the delivery of housing and related supports for disabled people over the next five years.
The National Strategy aims to facilitate access and provide a framework for people with a disability to the appropriate range of housing and related support services delivered in an integrated manner, which promotes equality of opportunity, individual choice and independent living with the user of the services at the centre of policies and plans.
The vision of the National Strategy is: -
- To facilitate disabled people to live independently with the appropriate choices and control over where, how and with whom they live, promoting their inclusion in the community.
- To further enable equal access for disabled people to housing with integrated support services
The Local Strategy will align with the strategic aims and outcomes of the National Strategy and will ensure that there is effective local collaboration between the Local Authority, Health Services, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), disability groups, traveller groups and community disability representatives. The overarching vision of the strategy is to facilitate disabled people to live independently and be included in their communities.
This strategy will use the term “disability” in reference to four categories of disability, i.e., sensory disability, mental health difficulties, physical disability and intellectual disability. Psychosocial disabilities are also included when referring to mental health difficulties as this is in line with the social model of language.
The achievement and timelines to meet the aims and objectives of the strategy are set out in the implementation plan which will measure progress and will be overseen by the Housing Agency.
The strategy will be overseen by the Housing Disability Steering Group (HDSG) which will be made up of stakeholders in County Carlow and a representative of the Housing Agency.