Crawford County stretches across 446 square miles of southeastern Illinois, with the Wabash River marking part of its eastern edge against Indiana. Most households live outside town, and the rest cluster in Robinson, the county seat, or in the villages of Oblong, Palestine, Hutsonville, Flat Rock and Stoy.
Many homes here are older farmhouses and in-town houses built long before anyone designed for aging in place. Stairs sit at the front door and between floors. For people who have owned their house for decades and want to stay, a stair lift is often the practical fix.
The county's housing is mostly single-family homes, ranch-style homes and split-level homes, with some low-rise buildings and walk-up apartments. A two-story farmhouse or in-town home with one straight flight is usually the simplest case, and a straight stair lift fits most of those.
Split-level homes are different. They tend to have short flights in more than one spot, so we look at each set of steps and talk through where a lift actually helps. A staircase that turns or has a landing needs a curved lift built to that stair.
Even ranch-style homes often have steps at the primary entrance. When the hard part is getting from the driveway into the house, an outdoor lift or a platform lift may solve more than any indoor unit would.
According to the 2020 Census, 67.2% of residents lived in rural areas, spread across ten townships. Only Robinson is a city, and the five villages are small.
That spread affects scheduling. Travel time to a farm property outside Robinson is longer, and fewer contractors cover the outlying areas, so it helps to plan the measurement visit and any later service calls ahead of time.
The 2020 Census counted 8,471 housing units in the county, with 79.9% of occupied units lived in by their owners. Many of those are long-held family homes, often paid off.
About 18.7% of residents are 65 or older. For a homeowner on a fixed or modest income, a stair lift usually costs less than moving or building a first-floor addition, and it keeps the upstairs bedroom in use.
Age is the first thing that sorts the options. Two Illinois programs that cover home modifications, the Home Services Program and the Persons with Disabilities waiver, require the person to be under 60 at application. The waiver for people 60 and older does not list home modifications among its services.
For older residents, the Southeastern Illinois Agency on Aging and the state Senior HelpLine are the places to start, since home modification is one of the supportive services the Area Agencies on Aging offer. USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants may also apply to rural homeowners, and grants require age 62 or older.
The VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides, so veterans should ask about other VA options. The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs has an office at 300 West Main Street in Robinson, (217) 299-8643. Program details are listed below.
A statewide program whose listed home modification examples include stair lifts, generally for people with a severe disability who are under 60 at application. Crawford County residents can call the IDHS Help Line at (800) 843-6154 to apply through the Division of Rehabilitation Services.
This Medicaid waiver pays for physical changes to a home to make up for loss of function, for Illinois residents under 60 at application who meet disability and Medicaid rules. Call (877) 581-3690.
A referral point for adults 60 and older and their caregivers that lists home modification among Area Agency on Aging services. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 to be connected with local help.
A waiver for Medicaid-eligible residents 60 and older that funds homemaker, adult day, emergency home response and medication dispenser services; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (800) 252-8966.
The Mt. Carmel agency serving Crawford and eight other counties, offering information, referral and service coordination; its listing does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 262-8678 to be screened for programs that may apply.
Low-interest repair loans for very low income rural homeowners, plus grants for owners 62 and older, for repairs that remove a health or safety hazard; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Eligibility depends on your address, so confirm with USDA.
A VA benefit for permanent structural changes such as entrance ramps and roll-in showers, with lifetime limits of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. It specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Grants for veterans with certain severe disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA, for changes such as ramps or wider doorways. Stair lifts are not specifically listed among covered adaptations.
Older adults
602 E. 5th Street, Mt. Carmel, 62863
Veterans
300 West Main Street, Robinson, 62454
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Services Program names stair lifts among its home modifications, and the Persons with Disabilities waiver covers home changes. Both require being under 60 at application and having a severe disability. Call (800) 843-6154 or (877) 581-3690.
The Southeastern Illinois Agency on Aging at (217) 262-8678, or the Illinois Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966. They can screen you for the programs that apply now.
Its listed services are homemaker, adult day, emergency home response and medication dispensers. Home modifications and stair lifts are not on that list.
No. The VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts from HISA. Veterans with qualifying disabilities can ask about SAH or SHA grants, and the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs office in Robinson is at (217) 299-8643.
Section 504 serves very low income homeowners in USDA-designated rural areas, and owners 62 or older may qualify for grants for repairs that remove a health or safety hazard. Stair lifts are not specifically listed, so check your address and the current rules with USDA.
No. It means each set of steps gets measured on its own. Some homes need a lift on only the flight used most, while others may suit a platform lift or more than one unit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
