Since 1984, IWA has been providing wheelchair liveable houses to people with disabilities, owning and managing 52 housing units across Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, and Dublin.
Two of IWA’s locations (Galway and Dublin) offer Transitional Housing, giving tenants the opportunity to experience independent living for 18 months. This invaluable experience allows people with disabilities to gain insight into what it is like to live on their own. Additionally, many of IWA’s tenants have the opportunity to benefit from the support services provided, such as personal assistants, holiday breaks, accessible transport, and other community support programs.
Linda, one of IWA’s newest tenants, shared her excitement about the opportunity to live independently, stating, “I am so excited to see what it’s like to live on my own. It will make a huge difference to my life, I will have my own space and independence, I’ll be able to cook. It’s so nice to have the support from IWA too, if I need it.”
In addition to providing housing, IWA’s housing department is actively engaged in advocacy and lobbying efforts to address the barriers people with disabilities face when accessing housing.
Did you know?
- IWA is a member of 29 of 30 Local Authority Housing & Disability Steering Groups. This gives us the opportunity to lobby local authorities and other approved housing bodies to design and provide wheelchair liveable housing.
- IWA’s Think Housing Build Accessible Campaign calls on the Government to amend Part M, Section 3 ( dealing with Access & Use) of the Building Regulations to provide for wheelchair liveable housing in Ireland, including technical guidance for the design of the same.
- IWA’s Think Ahead Think Housing Campaign encourages and supports people with disabilities to apply to their local authority for social housing.
- IWA’s Home Truths Campaign is an awareness campaign to highlight the lived experience of people with disabilities in the housing market, and to expose the barriers IWA members face to secure wheelchair liveable housing.
You can find more information via the links below.
