Home adaptations
Wolverhampton Homes provides the Home Improvement Agency service on behalf of the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC). It helps older people, people with disabilities and vulnerable people to live in their own homes safely and comfortably. The team aims to communicate clearly with customers seeking adaptations and to work with them to provide the most appropriate support.
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What the team does
The Home Improvement Agency offers a range of services:
- Providing grants or assistance to remove hazards from your home
- Advising and supporting on adapting homes, including Disabled Facilities Grants. Customers can check that they may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities grant here
- Looking and advising on your housing options if we are unable to adapt your home
- Providing help and advice to keep you safe and secure at home
- Signposting you to other organisations, including charities, who could help you
- Completing inspections throughout the work to ensure that you are happy with the service you have received
Disabled Adaptations
The team advises and assists with adaptations to the home to help customers increase or maintain their independence. This includes minor adaptations such as grab rails, items such as stairlifts and ramps, level access showers and major alterations.
Customers can only access this service if we receive a referral from Occupational Health professional
Home Repairs
This service is only for owner-occupiers in Wolverhampton. The team offers advice and assistance with home repairs that are a health and safety concern, but these are subject to strict eligibility criteria.
Customers can get in touch themselves for support, and we also accept referrals from other agencies.
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How this benefits customers
The HIA helps customers to stay safe and secure in their own homes, and provides support on securing grants, where required. It supports people who:
- own and live in their own property
- rent privately
- live in housing association accommodation
The team also delivers all adaptations to Wolverhampton Homes properties, supporting tenants throughout the process.
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What customers can expect
The HIA respond to emails within two working days.
Minor adaptations, such as simple grab rails:
- Urgent – work completed within five working days of referral
- Routine – work completed within 28 working days of referral
Other adaptations
The HIA will:
- contact the customer within five working days of referral to carry out initial checks
- for stairlifts and ramps, if the applicant meets grant eligibility criteria, we will arrange installation within three months of referral, unless urgent
For major adaptations, we aim to approve a private sector grant and place the order for work within 12 months of the initial referral. (This isn’t possible at the moment due to the high demand of the service).
Home Repair Assistance
We offer an initial visit within ten working days of referral. We aim to have grant approval within three months of the initial visit, subject to eligibility criteria.
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How we measure success
Customer satisfaction is measured through an online survey.
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How we continue to improve
The HIA works with the Foundations, the national body of home improvement agencies, to ensure it keeps up to date about new advances in the sector, and the team participates in national peer support groups. The HIA is an active participant at national conferences to share best practice and develop sector wide initiatives and support.
As a team, the HIA reviews its processes and introduces technology to help drive improvement across the service and to help monitor how the service is delivered to customers.
- How the team's work fits within the Consumer Standards