​Clúid Housing have recently built 17 new homes for the elderly in Dunlo to the rear of Aldi

​Clúid Housing have recently built 17 new homes for the elderly in Dunlo, to the rear of the Aldi Store. The houses are expected to be occupied over the next few weeks. ​Clúid Housing is an award winning, not-for-profit charity providing over 7,560 affordable, high quality homes to people in housing need. These houses are easily accessible and ideal for someone 65+.

The homes are designed with fully accessible bathrooms, level access showers and level access thresholds. There’s parking available for both residents and visitors also. These new homes are part of their dedicated age-friendly housing service Clann. They’re built following the principles of universal design and aim to provide housing where individuals can remain living independently in their own home for as long as possible. All housing allocations will be made in conjunction with the Local Authority, which in this case is Galway County Council. They’ll nominate prospective residents based on their allocations process and will be determined both by need and length of time on the local authority housing list. These houses aren’t given out on a first come, first served basis. Consideration is normally given by the best fit also and an individual’s accessibility and mobility needs. If you apply to get one of these houses, all allocations will come from the County Council as Clann does not operate a waiting list.

Rent is suited to each customer and isn’t fixed. It is charged in line with the Local Authority differential rent scheme and is based on the individual’s income. A part time Scheme Manager will be working on site, their role will be to support residents to live alone, link residents to relevant community supports and manage any tenancy related matters. The concept of universal design is followed on all Clann developments. Clann schemes aims to promote independent living, as such accessibility is central to their design and operation. However, they’re no lifts of any kind at these houses.

​Photovoltaic Panels are provided generating on the spot free electricity to residents. PV panels, also known as solar panels, capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity. The most typical PV panel system is the grid-connected system, which as its name indicates, is connected to the national grid. They generate electrical power instead of heat. The site was purchased from the local diocese of the Catholic Church. These homes cost €216,000 each to construct. If you wish to get in contact with a member of staff from ​Clúid, call 01 7072088 or email cluid@cluid.ie