Thousands of Disabled people are being left without the support they need because of changes to funding arrangements namely the New arrangement of the grant; the new process for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for tenants in the housing associations that took control of the old council housing when it was sold off to the housing assocs/privatised. Citizens Advice said the New arrangement was a part of the Deal. The DFG provides funding to ensure Disabled people can make housing adjustments like widening doors, installing ramps, and making adjustments to bathrooms.

This detrimental policy has caused me immense distress & has left a lasting mark on my mind. While in a feasible property, my housing association refused to provide me multiple times with the necessary wet room and wheelchair adaptations recommended there under this arrangement.

I have even had to regularly travel to swimming pools & a day centre just to have a shower - that's awful especially for a woman - I washed my hair & showered there instead for four and a half years while at that feasible house of ForHousing's AND at two other properties of theirs since - one an extra care flat, and at current bungalow where the shower wasn't done right for me at these also. Yet next door neighbour in same kind of house, same housing assoc had a wet room installed - the system results in a lottery for Disabled people who have no confidence the adaptations they need will be funded.

The New arrangement of the grant (splitting of the grant) caused me to have TO LIVE APART FROM MY PARTNER FOR 3 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS NEARLY AND FAR OUT for the wet room with NOT all my adaptations done - the system is clearly not working.  All the trouble harmed our relationship.

My MP doesn't support my petition.  He doesn't support Ending the New arrangement of the grant and feels my petition "misleading in ... the legal and funding position".  However the New arrangement of the grant was part of the Deal when the old council housing was privatised.  He supports housing associations funding the major adaptations, despite acknowledging our ordeal, that he describes merely as a "challenging experience with ForHousing" "deeply frustrating".  His adjectives gross understatements - 

My partner & I have been greatly distressed, I am being moved multiple times & it made me a lot worse & repeatedly.😂😂 Really gruelling devastating punishing & highly tormenting.  After it forced me out of my home, my partner got the bedroom tax as he remained at that feasible house, not wanting to move either & given this unfair tax for five and a half years now. 

For tenants who qualify for 100% funding, the New arrangement of the grant means that, unlike in the past, central Government only provide 50% of the funding, with housing associations having to fund the rest. 

The new arrangement and self-serving housing staff who don't deviate from policy, has created a crisis greatly distressing to disabled tenants in Feasible houses.  Instead of doing the major adaptations they need, the New arrangement creates a devastating GRIDLOCK for tenants who want to stay in feasible houses.  The housing assoc keeps refusing to do the recommended work & only want the tenant to move. 

No "reasonable adjustment" was made for me at that feasible house multiple times & even after my former MP complained too repeatedly to ForHousing; victimisation.

Another gross failure was ForHousing who kept refusing multiple times to do the work at that feasible house, didn't pass me on to Salford council to arrange the full grant instead at that house.  I couldn't take it anymore.  It all forced me out of my home & away from my partner who has a sickness also, we couldn't sort it.  We weren't treated favourably at that house.  Favourable treatment is part of the Equality Act.  Also the service was very poor from two legal aid solicitors who failed us.  It was extremely terrible.  I know another two housing assocs (formerly council) that didn't pass tenants on to the council to sort the full DFG funding instead by the council. 

No one passed us on to the council during our ordeal at the feasible house.  No one told us the council could fund it in full instead.  I found out this myself many years later (2026) thru emailing repeatedly my MP Michael Wheeler. 

ForHousing stated adaptations should be done within 9 months, but I was recommended a wet room in 2015 and instead after 5 distressing years of ForHousing’s resistance, I had to sort instead Two temporary places myself Far Out in 2020 which became Three due to a covid outbreak.  I heard ForHousing have since removed the 9 month policy.   

We find ForHousing please themselves what adaptations they do, even if recommended many years ago for you. 

Due to all the trouble, I was advised by the legal aid solicitor to complain formally to ForHousing, that on top of all the complaining previously.  The solicitor passed the job to me to write the complaint that I found gruelling to do.  She said get the Disability union to write it, however I had to write most of it myself because the Disability union have only a handful of staff, I had to send DU multiple emails.  I really struggled over the phone because my speech slowed by my meds & my fatigue. 

I had to keep complaining five further times thru the ForHousing formal complaint process for the adaptations recommended for me.  I very reluctantly had to sort their care flat myself when covid started, then they moved me to a second careflat even when I objected to it & the multiple moves.  I used to have an old bungalow with them before a hostile manager of theirs moved us to the 3bed house that was out of my medical band.  Why did their manager move us there if it was wrong. 

I had to wait further 3 years 8 months nearly for a property near my partner who remained at the feasible house. When I was moved finally to current bungalow, he couldn't live here because I wasn't given the recommended size of bedroom and they didn't do the shower right also - ForHousing refuse me the recommended pump for shower in 2019 and AGAIN in 2024. 

When MP wrote in 2025 for better drainage this too refused by hostile head manager.  This manager had moved me to current bungalow then unfairly blamed me for the flooding in wet room, - their other bungalows nearby also complain of flooding in their wet rooms.  This head manager, covering for a director, failed to pass me on to their adaptations manager or repairs team re the flooding & to correct flooring to the OT recommendations & for recommended pump for shower. 

It was recommended by the OT I have "two bedrooms knocked in to one".  However the bedroom in current bungalow is NOT two bedrooms knocked in one & is insufficient size for my hospital bed & I cannot move my wheelchair around bedroom.  I even made another formal complaint re the pump that fell on deaf ears.  Two ForHousing managers overruled the pump.  Housing manager & the OT wanted me to move in & wouldn't listen.  & I am having to move Again for the sixth time with ForHousing for adaptations. 

For the next move, I will be changing to a council property instead.  I don't want any more places with ForHousing.

ForHousing didn't do the shower right again & it made me a lot worse, causing me seven falls.  Again I had to shower instead at the disabled shower at a pool & a day centre after they moved me in & for around 6 months in 2024.

Again now in 2006, I'm having to shower instead at the disabled shower at the pool to wash my hair.  Also getting taxis to an accessible hairdressers in Walkden to have my hair washed.  

Only some, not all of my adaptations were done and is no room for my partner to live with me at the bungalow where ForHousing moved me and other issues with property.  For example wet room floor very slippery - again ForHousing refusing repeatedly to change it even when recommended to by the OT repeatedly. 

Under the new 50/50 funding rules/New arrangement, I have been moved property so far 5 times in 9 years (one furnished) and waiting to move again, and wasn’t helped even when in a feasible property to which ForHousing had moved me and my fiance (my carer) - to a house out of my medical band/ gross error. 

For years, disabled people like me have relied on central Government funding to make essential adaptations to our homes. These adaptations are crucial in ensuring our independence, safety, and overall well-being.

But under the New arrangement the burden placed on housing associations is simply too great, and they end up blocking adaptations & wet rooms in feasible properties because of their own financial constraints and their hostile staff/managers refusing to deviate from policy causing a punishing ordeal & hugely gruelling type of misery.

Please join me in calling on the Government to End the New arrangement of the grant and to return to the former process of the DFG funding provided in full by central Government for tenants who qualify for 100%. 

To ensure all tenants wanting to remain in Feasible properties in these housing assocs have the chance to get the support they desperately need, to live full, independent lives.