In Holyoke, grain elevators are the tallest things on the skyline, and most homes sit low on a traditional grid of streets. Out here on the flat High Plains of the far northeastern corner of Colorado, the hard climb is rarely outside. It is usually inside the house, on the stairway to a second floor or down to the basement.
Phillips County covers about 688 square miles, with Holyoke as the county seat and smaller towns like Haxtun and Paoli. Much of the housing is older, typical of small agricultural towns, and older interior stairways are exactly where a stair lift retrofit comes up. This page walks through what that means for your home and where to look for help with the cost.
Holyoke's downtown still has early-20th-century buildings such as the 1912 Burge Hotel and the Phillips County Courthouse. The houses around them come from the same era, and many have narrow or steep interior stairs that were built long before anyone thought about mobility.
A lot of homes in the county are single-story, which is good news. But a single-story ranch-style home often still has a basement where the laundry, the freezer or the furnace lives. If those basement stairs have become a worry, a straight stair lift is usually the first thing we look at.
Local housing includes single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and walk-up apartments. Each one points to a different kind of lift.
A single straight flight to a basement or second story usually takes a straight rail, which is the simplest install. Stairs that turn at a landing, which show up in some older two-story houses, need a curved rail built to fit that staircase. Split-level homes often have several short flights, so we look at which levels you actually use every day before suggesting anything.
Because the county is flat prairie, outdoor lifts are less common here than in hilly places. Walk-up apartments are a different case, since the stairs are not yours to change, so talk with the building owner first.
Phillips County has a cold semi-arid climate, with record lows near -36F. Heavy weather and long drives to Denver-area mobility-equipment installers can stretch service timelines, so it pays to plan ahead rather than wait for a fall on the stairs.
If you are thinking about a lift, start the conversation before winter sets in. That leaves time for measuring, ordering a rail and any funding paperwork, which can take a while on its own.
About 18.8% of Phillips County residents are 65 or older, and 75.5% of residents own their homes. Homeowners can generally make changes like a stair lift without asking anyone's permission.
The county's figures also show 15.7% of households with someone 65 or older living alone. For an adult child living elsewhere, that is often the reason to look at a lift: a parent alone in a house with basement stairs.
No single program here is set up to buy stair lifts outright, so it helps to know what each one actually says. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. The USDA Section 504 program and the VA SAH and SHA grants cover home modifications but do not name stair lifts, so ask before you count on them.
A good first call is the Northeast Colorado Area Agency on Aging at (844) 265-2372. They can connect residents to Medicaid HCBS home-modification benefits. Statewide options to ask about include the Health First Colorado EBD Waiver home modification benefit, the Assistive Technology Act Program of Colorado (AT Partners) and the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption (Senior Homestead Exemption).
Veterans can start with Veterans' Services at 221 S Interocean Ave in Holyoke, (970) 520-5876.
The designated aging agency for Phillips County, offering case management, options counseling and referrals, including to Medicaid HCBS home-modification benefits, for adults 60 and older and adults with disabilities. Its materials do not mention stair lifts; call the ADRC line at (844) 265-2372.
A no-cost center for people of any age with a disability, serving Phillips County and other northeastern Colorado counties, with no medical documentation required. It does not list a stair lift or home-modification program, so call (970) 352-8682 to ask what is offered now.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can get loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and those 62 and older who cannot repay may get grants up to $10,000 lifetime. Named examples include a wheelchair ramp and a walk-in tub; stair lifts are not listed by name.
Pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically necessary home alterations for veterans and service members. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and porch lifts are excluded as removable equipment.
Grants for homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. Examples include ramps and widened doorways; stair lifts are not listed by name.
Older adults
231 Main St., Suite 211, Fort Morgan, 80701
Veterans
221 S Interocean Ave, Holyoke, 80734
Many single-story homes in Phillips County still have stairs down to a basement. If laundry or storage is down there, a straight stair lift on that flight can keep the whole house usable.
HISA does not cover stair lifts; it excludes stair glides as removable equipment. For other options, call the Northeast Colorado Area Agency on Aging at (844) 265-2372, which can refer you to Medicaid HCBS home-modification benefits.
Connections for Independent Living serves people of all ages with a disability at no cost and needs only self-attestation, not medical paperwork. Call (970) 352-8682 to ask about current offerings.
Phillips County, including Holyoke, Haxtun and Paoli, is rural and USDA-eligible for Section 504. Grants up to $10,000 require age 62 or older and very low income; stair lifts are not named, so confirm before applying.
It can. Cold winters and long travel distances to Denver-area installers can stretch service timelines, so starting before winter gives you more room.
Veterans' Services is at 221 S Interocean Ave in Holyoke and can be reached at (970) 520-5876. They can help sort out which VA programs fit your situation.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
