Along the Fox River, Aurora, Elgin and the Tri-Cities of St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia grew up as mill and manufacturing towns in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the homes left from that era are two-story houses with narrow, steep stairways, the kind of staircase we see most often when a family calls about a stair lift.
Head west toward Sugar Grove and Elburn and the picture changes to ranch and two-story homes built from the 1980s onward. Across 24 towns, from Carpentersville and South Elgin to Kaneville, Big Rock and Virgil, this page walks through what your stairs mean for a lift and which programs may help pay for one.
The older neighborhoods in Aurora, Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia hold a meaningful share of two-story homes with tight, steep stairways. A straight staircase, even a narrow one, can usually take a straight-rail lift, which mounts to the stair treads rather than the wall.
Where an older stair turns at a landing or winds near the top, a curved lift with a custom-built rail is the usual answer. We measure the width, the turn and the landing space at the top and bottom before recommending either type.
Split-level homes are common in parts of Kane County, and they bring short flights between several floors. The question here is which flight matters most day to day, often the one to the bedrooms, and whether one lift covers it or the layout needs more than one.
Townhouses and the newer two-story homes around Sugar Grove and Elburn tend to have standard straight staircases, which keeps installation simpler. Ranch homes may have no interior stairs to the main living area at all, but steps to a basement or from the garage can still be a problem.
Kane County covers about 524 square miles of relatively flat terrain, so long hillside approaches are rare. The trouble spots are usually a few porch or entry steps, especially on older homes with raised first floors.
For those, an outdoor stair lift built for the weather or a vertical platform lift can bridge the gap. A platform lift also works for someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Kane County has a population of 549,576, and 12.8% of residents are 65 or older. With 73.6% of households owning their home, many older residents can make permanent changes like a stair lift without asking a landlord.
The Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission at 719 Batavia Avenue, Building A, in Geneva can be reached at (630) 232-3550 for help sorting out VA benefits.
Age is the first fork in the road. Illinois disability waiver services apply to people under 60 at application, while seniors 60 and over are pointed to AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois, the Area Agency on Aging for Kane County, at (630) 293-5990.
The AIM Center for Independent Living in Aurora is the local office that statewide home modification programs route Kane County residents through. Homeowners outside Aurora and Montgomery may also look at the county's Housing Rehabilitation Program, though stair lifts are not named on its page. Details on each program are listed below.
A state Medicaid waiver service for Medicaid-eligible Illinois residents under 60 with a severe disability, and the program page names stair lifts as a home modification example. Call (800) 843-6154 or 1-866-324-5553 TTY.
This waiver funds services to physically modify a home for people under 60 at risk of nursing facility placement, but its page does not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 581-3690 to ask whether a stair lift qualifies.
A state-funded home modification program at no cost to approved homeowners or renters with a disability who meet income limits, with stair lifts treated as covered home modification. Funds are limited and there has been a waiting list; call (217) 525-1308.
The local Center for Independent Living at 1710 N. Farnsworth Ave., Aurora, serving people with disabilities in DuPage, Kane and Kendall Counties; its page does not list stair lifts. Call (630) 469-2300 to ask about home modification help.
A zero-interest, deferred-payment loan of up to $20,000 for income-eligible homeowners in the Kane-Elgin Consortium Program Area, with stair lifts not mentioned on its page. Call Community Contacts at (847) 697-8800 to ask whether a stair lift fits the rehab scope.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for home accessibility changes, but it explicitly excludes stair glides. Call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home; stair lifts are not named on the source page.
An information, referral and care-coordination hub for older adults and caregivers, not a direct modification fund, and stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (630) 293-5990 for referrals to home modification programs.
Older adults
1910 S. Highland Ave., Suite 100, Lombard, 60148
Veterans
719 Batavia Avenue, Building A, Geneva, 60134
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology program names stair lifts and serves Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 at application with a severe disability. Call (800) 843-6154 to start.
Call AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois at (630) 293-5990. It does not pay for equipment itself, but it can refer seniors to programs like the INCIL Home Modification Program or the AIM Center for Independent Living.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants cover home adaptations for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, though stair lifts are not named, so ask the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission at (630) 232-3550.
No. Aurora, Montgomery and Hampshire are excluded from the Kane-Elgin Consortium Program Area. Aurora residents can call the AIM Center for Independent Living at (630) 469-2300 instead.
The INCIL Home Modification Program accepts renters who have the landlord's written permission, have a household member with a documented disability and meet income limits. Call (217) 525-1308.
No. We look at which flight you use most and whether it is straight or turns. Some split-levels need one lift for the main flight, and others need more than one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
