Stark County is three towns, Wyoming, Toulon and Bradford, spread across 288 square miles of the northwestern Peoria metro area. In Toulon, the county seat, the Stark County Courthouse still anchors a historic core surrounded by older two-story farmhouses and small-town houses from 19th- and early-20th-century Illinois settlement.
Those homes were built with bedrooms upstairs, and many have been in the same family for decades. When the stairs start to feel steep, a stair lift is often the step that lets someone stay in the house instead of searching for single-story housing the local market may not have. This page walks through what fits these homes and who may help pay for it.
Toulon has 565 housing units, and the stock is mostly older and largely unreplaced rather than new construction. Across the county you will find single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some low-rise buildings.
A two-story farmhouse with one straight run of stairs is usually the simplest job: a straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall. Older houses sometimes have a turn or a landing partway up, and that calls for a curved lift built to the shape of that staircase.
Split-level homes bring a different question. The flights are short, but there can be more than one, so we look at which levels the person actually needs to reach every day before recommending anything.
Stark County has recorded a low of -26 F, in January 1999, and a high of 104 F, in July 1983. Icy porch steps and stairs add a fall risk for older residents every winter.
When the trouble is getting into the house rather than getting upstairs, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure can run along porch or entry steps. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift may be the better fit, since it carries the chair itself.
About 22.9% of Stark County residents are 65 or older, and the median age in Toulon is 42.7. Roughly 72.5% of households own their homes, which matters because most funding programs and any permanent installation assume you own the house.
Veteran benefits have specific rules about stair lifts, covered in the programs below, and the Henry County Veterans Assistance Commission in Cambridge at (309) 937-3450 is a place to start asking questions.
The clearest source is the IDHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program, whose official page names stair lifts as an example of what it covers. It works through local Centers for Independent Living, and for Stark County that is the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living (IVCIL).
Age is the next thing to sort out. The IDHS Home Services Program (HSP) serves people under age 60, while people 60 and older are directed to the Illinois Department on Aging and the local Area Agency on Aging. Homeowners 62 and older with low income may also look at the USDA Section 504 repair program.
Some programs you may hear about do not pay for stair lifts. VA HISA excludes stair glides, and Illinois Care Connections lists stair lifts among the things it cannot provide. Knowing that ahead of time saves an application.
CCP provides in-home care, adult day service, emergency home response and medication dispensers for Illinois residents 60 and older who qualify for Medicaid; its official page does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (800) 252-8966 and ask the care coordinator about referral to a program that funds equipment.
This state program helps Illinois residents with a disability make physical changes to the home, and its official page lists stair lifts as an example. It is handled through the local Center for Independent Living; call (800) 843-6154.
HSP serves people under age 60 with a severe disability and covers assistive equipment and environmental modifications in the home, which can include a stair lift. Call (800) 843-6154.
IVCIL serves people with disabilities in Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties and runs an equipment loan program, though its site does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (815) 224-3126 to ask whether a stair lift can currently be funded or loaned.
Low-income rural homeowners can get repair loans up to $20,000 at 1% over 20 years, and those 62 or older may get grants up to $7,500, though the fact sheet does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 403-6222 to confirm current amounts and whether your project qualifies.
HISA pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically necessary accessibility changes for veterans enrolled in VA health care. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
These grants fund permanent home modifications for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. Stair lifts are not named, so confirm with the VA that your installation is an approved use.
This program lends or reimburses devices like tablets, walkers and hearing aids for people 60 and older enrolled with aging services, but it lists stair lifts and home modifications as things it cannot provide. Call (800) 852-5110 for other device needs.
Older adults
700 Hamilton Boulevard, Peoria, 61603
Veterans
307 W. Center St., Cambridge, 61238
Yes. The IDHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program lists stair lifts as an example of what it covers. For Stark County it works through the Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living at (815) 224-3126, or call IDHS at (800) 843-6154.
The IDHS Home Services Program (HSP) is for people under age 60 with a severe disability and covers home modifications and assistive equipment. Call (800) 843-6154.
Start with aging services. The Central Illinois Agency on Aging (PSA 4) is at 700 Hamilton Boulevard in Peoria, (309) 674-2071, and the Community Care Program line is (800) 252-8966. CCP itself does not fund stair lifts, so also ask about the IDHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides. Veterans with a qualifying severe service-connected disability may be able to use an SAH or SHA grant for permanent home modifications, but should confirm a stair lift is an approved use. The Henry County Veterans Assistance Commission in Cambridge, (309) 937-3450, can help with questions.
Usually yes. Stairs with a turn or landing need a curved stair lift made to fit that specific staircase, while a single straight flight takes a straight lift. We measure the stairs at a home visit to tell you which one fits.
An outdoor stair lift made for weather exposure can run along entry steps, which matters in a county that has recorded -26 F. If a wheelchair is involved, a vertical platform lift is often the better option.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
