Grants that make a difference

DESPITE the current economic climate of cutbacks, the department of the Environment should be thanked by Limerick City Council for the increased disability grants they allocated this year. Cllr Pat Kennedy told a meeting of the city council’s housing committee that people want to continue to live in their own homes and that with the assistance of a disability grant, this can frequently be achieved.

“We should thank the Department and outline our case for the coming year – if we do this well, it will show we have a social sense and a bit of humanity
“I know of a case where grandparents living in their house are in a situation where one of them cannot get up or down the stairs to see the other one – a chair lift will have to be installed,” he said.

Grants that are equally welcome, Cllr Maurice Quinlivan said, are those that are allocated by the city council to community and voluntary groups that provide a wide range of services and facilities to people who otherwise would not be in a position to avail of them.
New recipients this year, he said, are the Deaf Community Centre, Mid West, the Limerick district Anglers, St Mary’s Women’s Group in King Island and the Southill Powerlifting club, O’Malley Park.