Most people in LaSalle County live along the Illinois River, in towns like Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru and Marseilles, with Streator to the south. These places grew up around 19th- and early-20th-century industry, including the Westclox clock company, and that history left behind a lot of older, multi-story houses. Plenty of them have been in the same family for decades.
Away from the river, the county turns to farm country spread across 1,135 square miles of land, the second-largest county by land area in Illinois. Moving from a farmhouse or a river-town home to single-story or assisted-living housing can mean a long move away from everything familiar. For many families here, a stair lift is the more practical way to keep using the whole house.
The multi-story homes in Ottawa, Streator, Peru and LaSalle often have one long, straight run of stairs between floors. A straight stair lift rides a rail mounted to the treads, not the wall, so plaster walls and old trim stay as they are.
Older houses can also have stairs that turn at a landing or narrow near the top. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the staircase. We measure every staircase in person before recommending one type over the other.
Split-level homes are common across the county, and they bring several short flights instead of one long one. Sometimes the answer is a lift on the flight that matters most, such as the one to the bedrooms, rather than every set of steps.
Townhouses usually have a straight interior staircase that suits a standard lift. Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are different, since the stairs are shared space, so the building owner has to agree before anything gets installed.
On farm properties north and south of the river, the hardest steps are sometimes outside, at the entry to the house. Outdoor stair lifts are built with weather-resistant parts for that job.
Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may make more sense than a chair. We can talk through both during a home visit.
About 18.5% of the county's residents are 65 or older, and 70.7% of households own their home. That combination means many people are aging in houses they own and intend to stay in, which is exactly where a stair lift earns its place.
The Veterans Assistance Commission of LaSalle County in Peru, at (815) 433-1761, is a local place to start with questions about veteran benefits.
Only one program on our list explicitly names stair lifts: the Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program, which works through the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living for LaSalle County residents. Calling IVCIL at (815) 224-3126 is a sensible first step for anyone with a disability.
Other programs fund home repairs and accessibility work without naming stair lifts, so ask each one directly. The VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides. For general senior services and referrals, the Western Illinois AAA in Rock Island answers at (309) 793-6800. Each program is summarized below.
A state program for people with disabilities that lists stair lifts among its example modifications, run through local Centers for Independent Living. Call (800) 843-6154, or contact the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living for LaSalle County.
A $4.5 million statewide allocation serving people with disabilities not currently served by the Home Services Program, accessed through regional CILs including IVCIL; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 843-6154.
The local Center for Independent Living for Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties, offering services that include an Equipment Loan program; its listed services do not mention stair lifts. Call (815) 224-3126 to ask whether a lift can be funded, loaned or referred.
A referral hub for older adults that funds local providers such as Mendota Area Senior Services and Alternatives for the Older Adult; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (309) 793-6800.
Offers owner-occupants up to $45,000 per household as a five-year forgivable loan for health, safety, accessibility and energy efficiency repairs; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (815) 433-5830.
Up to $60,000 per owner-occupied, single-family home within La Salle city limits for income-eligible households, with priority for residents over 65 or with disabilities; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (815) 223-3755.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants limited to those 62 or older; stair lifts are not mentioned among example repairs.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility work, which explicitly excludes stair glides. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities; the source does not mention stair lifts.
Older adults
729 34th Avenue, Rock Island, 61201
Veterans
4231 Progress Blvd, Unit 4, Peru, 61354
The Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program lists stair lifts as an example. LaSalle County residents reach it through the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living at (815) 224-3126, or the state line at (800) 843-6154.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair glides. A veteran with a qualifying severe service-connected disability can ask about SAH or SHA grants, though those sources do not name stair lifts either. The Veterans Assistance Commission of LaSalle County is at (815) 433-1761.
USDA Section 504 grants require the applicant to be 62 or older and to live in an eligible rural area, with income at or below 50% of Area Median Income. Eligibility is checked address by address on the USDA map, and stair lifts are not named among example repairs.
The City of La Salle Housing Rehabilitation Grant offers up to $60,000 per owner-occupied single-family home for income-eligible households, with priority for residents over 65 or with disabilities. It runs in grant cycles, so call (815) 223-3755 to ask if applications are open.
Usually yes. Split-levels have several short flights, so many owners put a lift on the flight they use most. We look at each flight during a home visit.
For a person with a disability, IVCIL at (815) 224-3126. For general senior services and referrals, the Western Illinois AAA at (309) 793-6800 offers Information and Assistance and Options Counseling.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
