Funding for home modifications
You may be able to get funding if you have a disability and need changes made to your home.
As your needs change or you spot things that are making life a bit harder, you might look at changing things about your home. Home modifications through ACC, DSS even a veterans affair should make living an everyday life in your home as easy as possible
What are home modifications?
Adaptions to your home or ‘modifications’ should improve the safety and accessibility for our disabled community. They’re changes that give people access to shower safely, make their own food, get inside and do general normal tasks to live a life as independently as possible.
Home modifications include things like adding handrails by stairs, shower stalls or toilets. Depending on your needs, there could be temporary wheelchair ramps, handheld showers, or security latches.
These are examples of minor changes. More major modifications could include full structural changes, like moving a wall, putting in a lift or changing plumbing systems. When they get more major, they may require consent from the council to complete.
You could choose to make these changes yourself, or you could seek funding from the Government or from support organisations.
How to get funding
What kind of support you get and how you get it will depend on your funder. This is the Government organisation that support your during your disability journey.
If you were born as a disabled person or something developed which made you identify as a disabled person, you might be covered by Disability Support Services. If you are now disabled through an accident, you may be covered by ACC.
If you’re not covered by either, check out our funds and grants page for opportunities for support.
Disability Support Services (DSS) funding
The Disability Support Services (DSS) home modification funding process can help people who are eligible.
It’s worth noting that for some in our community, we understand you only will have one opportunity to modify your home under support from DSS.
This means you may like to self-fund smaller changes and save your application for more complex changes. It’s definitely worth talking to DSS before making decisions on this though as every case is different.
We worked with one of the DSS housing modifiers, Enable New Zealand to understand how the process works
Here’s a simple guide to walk you through the journey of modifying your home with DSS. You can also download the Enable New Zealand guide on their website.
Step 1. Get a referral for an assessment
You must first visit your GP (family doctor) or health professional for a referral to an assessor. An assessor will be an experienced occupational therapist or physiotherapist who is experienced in enabling our disability community to live good lives through making adaptations.
Step 2. Assessment and recommendations
An assessor will work with you to understand your access needs and complete an assessment. From here they will recommend modifications to improve accessibility in your home.
Step 3. Apply for funding
If your assessor believes you would be eligible to be funded, your assessor will apply for DSS funding through Enable New Zealand or AccessAble for review by their clinical teams. If you get approval, there will be an order placed for changes with Enable New Zealand or AccessAble. They are equipment and housing modification providers trusted by DSS to support the process.
If your order is not approved or changes are suggested, your assessor will let you know. You could choose to pay for the modifications yourself, or you could work with your assessor to see if you can change your order to meet the DSS approval criteria.
If you're over 16, an income assessment may be needed.
Step 4. Design & approval
If everything is approved Enable or AccessAble will team up with you, your assessor and their design experts to create a plan that works for your needs and lifestyle. They might bring in an architect, plumber or other building specialist in this design phase to ensure that your solution meets local council criteria. They may also need to learn more about the current building design of your home. For places where there will be new weight demands, they’ll need to make sure your home can handle the additions.
This might mean designing in new studs so your bathroom can support your weight through a handrail, or extra beams to support the weight of a lift through your floor and ceiling.
Hot tip: You can upgrade materials or add extra features; just keep in mind it’ll be at your own cost!
Step 5. Consent
This isn’t in the journey map above, but we wanted to make sure you’re aware of the time which getting building consent can add to the build. This is likely to happen during the design and building process where your architect/designer/builder will submit the plans for the change to your home to the local council. They’ll likely also have inspections during the build to ensure all the boxes are ticked by local standards.
Time frames on consents are different for each region. Consents generally come in where there are changes made that could affect the structure and safety of your home, where pipes are significantly changed or where things could affect the safety of your neighborhood. This is why it’s different for everyone and the process can take weeks or months.
Step 5.1 Construction begins
Once the design is final and funding is approved, the modification building begins. You’ll be in all timeline discussions before work begins, but keep in mind complex changes can take a long time to complete.
Step 6. Completion & sign-Off
Once finished, you’ll sign off the completed work and enjoy your improved, accessible home!
If you think you qualify, talk to your health professional and begin your journey to a more accessible home!
ACC Funding
If you’re covered under ACC after an injury, they may help pay for changes needed to your home. We worked with one of the ACC housing modifiers, Enable New Zealand to understand how the process works. So now we can take you, step by step, through a journey and how it all comes together.
Step 1: Contacting ACC
You or someone supporting you can reach out to ACC to chat about the challenges you’re facing at home. They’ll look into your situation and see if housing modifications could help. You might be able to do this through your MyACC account, at their number 0800 101 996, or you could email your case manager/management team.
Step 2: Assessment
ACC might need more information to understand your needs. Particularly if they think they might be more major than a simple handrail.
They will arrange for an assessor (these could be an occupational therapist or physiotherapist) to visit. They’ll see you perform tasks, identify where changes would make life easier for you, and talk with you about where you see opportunities for change.
Step 3: Order and getting things started
Your ACC assessor will send their recommended order for approval.
These will come to your ACC case manager for approval straight away if they’re simple. If they’re more complex, they’ll come through to Enable New Zealand or AccessAble for review by their clinical teams.
In both cases, if you get approval, there will be an order placed for changes with Enable New Zealand or AccessAble. They are equipment and housing modification providers trusted by ACC to support the process.
If your order is not approved or changes are suggested, your ACC assessor will let you know. You could choose to pay for the modifications yourself, or you could work with your assessor to see if you can change your order to meet the ACC approval criteria.
Step 4: Planning the modifications with the Housing team
For simple changes, ACC’s housing modification provider will work with your assessor to organise the modification planning. For complex changes, like adding an wet floor bathroom, Enable or AccessAble’s expert clinical teams will work with your Assessor to find the best solution for you.
Step 5.1: Consent
This isn’t in the journey map above, but we wanted to make sure you’re aware of the time which getting building consent can add to the build. This is likely to happen during the design and building process where your architect/designer/builder will submit the plans for the change to your home to the local council. They’ll likely also have inspections during the build to ensure all the boxes are ticked by local standards.
Time frames on consents are different for each region. Consents generally come in where there are changes made that could affect the structure and safety of your home, where pipes are significantly changed or where things could affect the safety of your neighborhood. This is why it’s different for everyone and the process can take weeks or months.
Step 5: Designing your solution
Once everything is approved by ACC, Enable or AccessAble will team up with you, your assessor and their design experts to create a plan that works for your needs and lifestyle.
They might bring in an architect, plumber or other building specialist in this design phase to ensure that your solution meets local council criteria. They may also need to learn more about the current building design of your home. For places where there will be new weight demands, they’ll need to make sure your home can handle the additions.
This might mean designing in new studs so your bathroom can support your weight through a handrail, or extra beams to support the weight of a lift through your floor and ceiling.
Step 6: Building the modifications
Before the building work begins, you’ll chat with the team about how long it will take and whether you’ll need to stay somewhere else in the meantime. If you do, it’s likely that ACC will set you and your family up with temporary accommodation during the construction.
Step 7: Enjoy your newly modified home!
Once everything’s done, you’ll sign off that the modifications meet your needs. Then, you can settle back in and enjoy a home that’s better suited to you!
Funding If you’ve served in the New Zealand Defence Force
Veterans’ Affairs has two programmes that offer financial support for home modifications or adaptations. The Veterans’ Affairs website has more information.
If your home needs structural changes on the Veteran Affairs website
Check out the home help funding on the Veterans Affairs website
Paying for home modifications yourself
Or visit your local info centres to find stores around New Zealand who sell minor home modification equipment you can purchase yourself.
If you decide to pay for your own home modifications it’s best to get advice and an assessment from a private occupational therapist (OT).
To find a private OT you could:
do an internet search
talk to your local disability information centre
contact the association for occupational therapists.
You can visit Occupational Therapy New Zealand website
Planning for future needs when building a house
Thinking ahead when planning and designing a new home could mean you stay in your own home for longer when you are older.