About Home Improvement Agencies
Home Improvement Agencies are local, trusted organisations that help older, disabled and vulnerable people to live a good life for longer. They offer reliable information and advice and support people to make modifications to their homes as their health and needs change through later years especially.
There are nearly 200 HIAs in England, sometimes known as Care & Repair or Staying Put schemes, covering 82% of local authorities.
Their services include*:
- Housing options – impartial advice and information, supporting older people achieve the outcome best suited to their needs, whether they need help adapting their own home or finding a new one.
- Disabled adaptations – (includes Disabled Facilities Grants – financial help towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities to enable a disabled person to continue to live in their home). The HIA may help with any work you decide to have carried out on your home, for example, drawing up plans, getting estimates and liaising with others involved in the work, such as council grants officers and occupational therapists
- Home repairs/handyperson – these services cover ‘odd jobs’ such as putting up curtains or moving furniture, minor adaptations, falls prevention measures etc. The handyperson may also be able to identify further needs and can refer to other services (such as benefit checking) or occupational therapists
- Hospital discharge and re-ablement – A number of HIAs are working closely with discharge teams to arrange rapid-response adaptations for those patients waiting to return home after a stay in hospital. The schemes facilitate a swift and safe discharge from hospital for older people by ensuring their home environment is safe and ready for their return (grab rails, ramps, widening a doorway, etc.)
- Making homes more energy efficient - this often includes installing insulation, energy efficient light bulbs and other measures to keep fuel and electricity costs down
- Welfare and benefits advice - checking whether you are entitled to any financial help (for example, disability benefits, or money to help you repair or adapt your home)
*Please contact your local HIA for more details about the services offered
Each year HIAs in England:
- Receive over 300,000 enquiries
- Carry out over 150,000 handyperson visits
- Support over 20,000 people to be discharged from hospital
- Assist with over 30,000 Disabled Facilities Grants
- Support over 40,000 self-funders