Newton grew up on a bluff overlooking the Embarras River, starting as five families in 1841 and reaching about 2,901 residents by 1960. Many of the houses in Newton, Ste. Marie and Willow Hill date from that slow, steady small-town growth, long before anyone designed homes for people to age in them.
That history shows up as steps: steps at the front door, steps to the basement, and a full flight to the bedrooms in older two-story houses and farmhouses. If someone in your family has started avoiding those stairs, a stair lift is often a practical way to keep using the whole home instead of moving out of it.
The bluff-top land around Newton means a lot of homes sit on sloped lots, and older in-town houses tend to concentrate stairs at the entrance and between floors. That is the exact layout a stair lift is built for.
The 2020 Census counted 1,356 housing units in Newton for a population of 2,777. Most of those are long-owned homes, and in the three towns we serve, 75.7% of residents are homeowners. Owning the house makes it simpler to add a lift, since there is no landlord to ask.
A straight stair lift fits a single flight with no turns, which covers many two-story houses and the basement stairs in ranch-style homes. It mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house are not a problem.
Split-level homes usually have short runs of stairs between each level. Each run can take its own straight lift, or a curved lift can follow a stair that turns at a landing. Curved rails are made to fit the specific staircase, so we measure on site first.
Steps from the yard or driveway up to the door are common on sloped lots. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather, and where a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift may be the better choice. We look at the steps in person before recommending either.
Jasper County covers 498 square miles and is classified as 100.0% rural, with 9,287 residents in 2020. In 2020, 21.4% of residents were 65 or older, a large share of older adults spread across a lot of farm country.
Fewer in-home service providers work in rural counties than in more urban parts of Illinois. Before you buy any lift, ask who will service it, how far they travel, and how repairs are handled, so maintenance is planned before it is needed.
Most help in Illinois depends on age. Residents under 60 with a severe disability are pointed to the Home Services Program, while people 60 and older go through the Illinois Department on Aging and its local agencies.
The program that names home modification directly is the INCIL Home Modification Program, reached locally through Opportunities for Access. Funding there is limited, so it helps to apply early and look at the USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants at the same time. Several other programs below do not mention stair lifts in their published material, so ask each one directly.
Among residents of Newton, Ste. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs has an office right in Newton at 204 W. Washington St., Suite 2, Newton 62448, and can be reached at (217) 342-8493.
Be aware that the VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. The larger VA housing grants describe adaptations like ramps and wider doorways but do not name stair lifts, so a veterans' service officer can help you find out whether your situation qualifies.
A state Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents with a severe disability who apply under age 60 and are at risk of nursing-facility placement; it funds home modifications that increase safety and mobility, though stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 843-6154.
A statewide nonprofit home modification program for Illinois homeowners, or renters with landlord approval, with a household member who has a documented disability and income under a set limit; it helped 83 people in its first year and has more than 800 on its waiting list. Call (217) 525-1308.
The Center for Independent Living serving Jasper and twelve other counties, offering advocacy, peer support, skills training and referrals, and acting as the local access point for the INCIL Home Modification Program; its own published services do not list stair lifts. Call (217) 342-5521.
A Medicaid program for Illinois residents 60 and older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less, covering in-home service, adult day service, emergency home response and medication dispensers; home modifications and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966.
The information, referral and case management office for Jasper County residents 60 and older and their caregivers, including Community Care Program enrollment; it does not list stair lift funding but is a good first call to get screened. Call (217) 347-5569.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older, for very low income owners in rural areas, with eligibility confirmed address by address; the source describes ramps and walk-in tubs but does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 403-6200.
State funding for health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements for low and very low income homeowners, especially those with disabilities, applied for through a local grantee organization rather than IHDA; stair lifts are not named and waitlists are long. Call (312) 836-5200.
A VA benefit for enrolled veterans with a medically necessary accessibility need, with lifetime caps of $6,800 or $2,000; the VA explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and up to $25,350 for SHA; examples include ramps and wider doorways, but stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
602 E. 5th Street, Mt. Carmel, 62863
Veterans
204 W. Washington St., Suite 2, Newton, 62448
Illinois residents with a severe disability who apply under age 60 can be screened for the Home Services Program at (800) 843-6154. It funds home modifications that improve safety and mobility, though it does not name stair lifts, so ask about your specific need. The INCIL Home Modification Program, reached through Opportunities for Access at (217) 342-5521, is another option with no age requirement listed.
Senior Services, a division of ECCOA, handles referrals and Community Care Program enrollment for Jasper County residents 60 and older at (217) 347-5569. The Southeastern Illinois AAA (PSA 11) in Mt. Carmel is also listed for aging services at (217) 262-0678.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts, so whether they apply depends on the veteran's case. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs office in Newton at (217) 342-8493 can help you sort through it.
The county is 100.0% rural per the 2020 Census, so it generally qualifies, but USDA confirms eligibility for each address. Loans go up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for owners 62 and older who are very low income. Call (217) 403-6200 and ask whether a stair lift would be an eligible use.
No exact wait is published, but the program helped 83 people in its first year and has more than 800 people on its statewide waiting list. Plan for a long wait and apply early.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are built for entrance steps exposed to weather, which are common on the sloped lots around Newton. If a wheelchair needs to come along, a platform lift may fit better, and we check the steps in person before recommending one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
