The Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Home Access Program is designed to promote independence and allow persons with disabilities to reside in their homes with the appropriate home modifications and to avoid unnecessary entry into nursing homes.
It also helps those in nursing homes transition back to their own homes. Those wishing to apply for a grant can contact the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission at dph-info-bsitf@dph.ga.gov or call 1-888-233-5760.
The program allows grant awards of up to $10,000 to improve the accessibility of an owner-occupied home in which an individual with disability resides. Eligible activities through the Home Access Program includes but not limited to, bathroom retrofitting which may include roll-in showers, construction of wheelchair ramps, lowering of cabinets and counters, widening of doorways, and installation of visual aids and audible alarms. DCA works with agencies with the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) and others as Contract Administrators to carry-out home modification projects.
In Fiscal Year 2008, DCA entered into its initial agreement with the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission (BSITFC) to use the administrative infrastructure of the Home Access Program to provide accessibility improvements to the homes of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI) who are determined eligible for this assistance and referred by BSITFC. DCA has maintained Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with BSITFC to provide these services through the Home Access Program to date.
In State Fiscal Year 2017, DCA received State funds for the Home Access Program. DCA collaborated with Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) and worked with their partnering agencies working with persons with physical disabilities for referrals and home modifications. As a result, 37 projects have been completed to make individualized home modifications, including but not limited to, ramps and door modifications to attain access and exit to home safely, bathroom modifications etc.
This year DCA received funds for SILC for the Home Access Program at the amount of $100,000. The Memorandum of Agreement has been signed between DCA and SILC to continue with the program. For those wishing to apply for the home modification services can contact Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia http://www.silcga.org/ or call 770-270-6860 or its local affiliated agencies.
