From the older blocks of Kankakee and Momence to farm country around Herscher, Chebanse and Buckingham, a lot of Kankakee County living happens on two floors. The county's Historic Preservation Commission has been surveying and documenting older houses here, including the Durham Perry Farmstead, the Letourneau Home and the Foerster House. That work points to a housing stock with a meaningful share of pre-1950s homes.
Many of those houses were built as two-story farmhouses or town bungalows. In that layout the bedrooms and often the only full bathroom sit upstairs, reached by one straight or turned staircase. When climbing those stairs gets hard, a stair lift is often the most direct way to keep using the whole house. This page walks through what fits which homes and where to look for help paying for it.
The classic setup we see in older Kankakee County homes is a single interior staircase between the main floor and the bedrooms. If that staircase runs in one straight line, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house stay untouched.
Turned staircases are common too, with a landing or a bend partway up. Those need a curved stair lift, where the rail is made to follow your exact stairs. Because the rail is custom, we measure on site before anything is ordered.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, sometimes more than one. A lift can be placed on the flight that matters most, often the one leading to the bedrooms. Short runs are generally a good match for a straight lift.
Townhouses tend to stack living space on top of each other, so the stairs see daily use. In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, renters should talk with the landlord first, since the lift attaches to the stairs. One of the state programs below accepts renters who have landlord approval.
Outside steps can be as much of a barrier as the inside stairs, especially on older farmhouses with raised porches. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat-style lift.
The county covers 681 square miles, with the Kankakee River running through its center. Homes range from in-town lots in Bourbonnais, Bradley and Manteno to rural properties around St. Anne, Grant Park and Hopkins Park. We look at where the entry steps are and how the ground sits before suggesting an outdoor option.
Kankakee County has 79,775 residents and 16.5% are 65 or older. About 63.7% of households own their home, which matters because many assistance programs are written for owners. Across the county's 45,270 housing units, the upstairs bedroom problem shows up again and again.
The Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County in Bourbonnais can be reached at (815) 937-8489 to talk through VA options.
Help depends mostly on age and disability. For Illinois residents under 60 with a severe disability who are Medicaid-eligible, the Home Services Program's Environmental Accessibility Adaptations explicitly lists stair lifts as an example. The statewide line is (877) 581-3690.
For people 60 and older, the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (800) 528-2000 is the place to ask what home-modification help is currently funded. The statewide Home Modification Program runs through Options Center for Independent Living in Bourbonnais, though it has a waiting list.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides. Rural homeowners 62 and older may want to look at USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants. Details for each program are listed below.
A state Medicaid waiver service for Illinois residents under 60 with a severe disability who are at risk of nursing facility placement. The official page explicitly names stair lifts as a covered example; call (877) 581-3690.
The HFS page describes Environmental Accessibility Adaptations as home modifications for loss of function, for people under 60 who are Medicaid-eligible. Stair lifts are not named on this page; call (877) 581-3690.
Covers home modifications that make up for lost mobility and increase safety, for people under 60 with severe disabilities. This page does not mention stair lifts; call (877) 581-3690.
For Developmental Disabilities waiver participants, with caps such as $15,000 per participant per five-year period for adult home-based and community day services. The source does not name stair lifts; call (800) 843-6154.
A $7.5 million statewide program for Illinois owners or renters with landlord approval who have a documented disability and earn less than 200% of area median income; it has over 800 people on a waiting list. Stair lifts are not named among covered work; call (217) 525-1308 or apply through Options CIL.
Serves people with disabilities in Kankakee and Iroquois counties with referrals, an Equipment Loan Program and other services, and is the local first call for the Home Modification Program. It does not list a stair lift fund; call (815) 936-0100.
Serves adults 60 and older and their caregivers, listing mobility assistance and supplemental services on a limited basis. Stair lift funding is not listed, so call (800) 528-2000 to ask what home-modification help is available.
Funds ongoing in-home services for people 60 and older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less. Home modifications and stair lifts are not among its listed services; the Senior HelpLine is (800) 252-8966.
Pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically necessary home accessibility work for enrolled VA patients. It explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities. The VA page gives ramps and widened doorways as examples and does not name stair lifts.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas with income below 50% of area median; grants require age 62 or older. Stair lifts are not named in the source.
Older adults
1910 S. Highland Ave., Suite 100, Lombard, 60148
Veterans
581 William R Latham Sr Dr, Suite 302, Bourbonnais, 60914
Yes, a turned staircase with a landing or bend needs a curved stair lift, with a rail made to match your stairs. We measure on site first. Straight staircases, which are also common in older bungalows, take a straight lift.
The Illinois Home Services Program's Environmental Accessibility Adaptations names stair lifts as an example for Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 with a severe disability. Call (877) 581-3690 to start.
People 60 and older are directed to aging services instead. Call the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (800) 528-2000 and ask what home-modification assistance is currently funded in Kankakee County.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask about them directly. The Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County in Bourbonnais is at (815) 937-8489.
The lift attaches to the stairs, so landlord approval comes first. The statewide Home Modification Program accepts renters with landlord approval; Kankakee County residents apply through Options Center for Independent Living at (815) 936-0100.
Not usually. The program reports over 800 people on its waiting list because funding covers only part of the applicants, so it helps to apply early.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
