From the Lake Michigan shoreline in Michigan City and Long Beach to farm towns like Wanatah, Hanna and Rolling Prairie, LaPorte County covers about 613 square miles and 16 towns. Many of the older houses in its established towns were built with multi-level layouts and full staircases. That is the main reason families here look at adding a stair lift instead of selling the house.
This page walks through how the county's homes and ground affect which kind of lift fits, and which local and state programs are worth a phone call when it comes to paying for one. If you are helping a parent in La Porte, Westville or Kingsford Heights, or planning for your own home, start here.
The county had about 49,780 housing units as of the 2020 census. Most are single-family homes and detached houses, with townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes mixed in.
A full, straight staircase in an older two-story house is usually the simplest install. The rail runs from the bottom step to the top, and the lift folds out of the way when not in use.
Split-level homes are different. They often have several short flights with landings between them, so a curved lift with a custom rail, or a separate lift on each run, is the usual answer. Townhouses can go either way depending on whether the stairs turn.
Census figures show 28.6% of the county's housing units were renter-occupied in 2020. If you rent, the landlord has to agree before anything gets bolted to the stairs, so get that permission in writing first.
Walk-up apartments often have shared stairways, which brings building rules into play. Outside, porch and entry steps may call for an outdoor-rated lift, or a platform lift when a wheelchair has to come along.
Elevation in the county runs from 581 feet along Lake Michigan to 957 feet in southwestern Galena Township, and part of the Indiana Dunes National Park system reaches into the county. Homes on sloped lots near the lake or the dunes often have extra exterior steps between the driveway and the door.
About 63.5% of residents live in urban areas, mostly Michigan City and La Porte, and 36.5% live in rural areas. For a farmhouse outside Wellsboro or La Crosse, plan a little more lead time, since contractors and case managers have farther to drive.
Homeownership is high, at 65.7% in our county figures, which means many older residents own the stairs they are climbing and can make changes to them.
For veterans, the LaPorte County Veteran Services office at 555 Michigan Avenue, Suite 105, La Porte, is the local place to sort out VA benefits. Call (219) 326-6808.
No program on our list names stair lifts by name, and one, the VA HISA grant, rules them out. Several others do cover home modifications or environmental modifications in general, so it is worth asking whether a lift can fit under that heading in your care plan.
The best first call for most families is REAL Services, the Area Agency on Aging for the region, at (574) 284-2644. They handle intake for the CHOICE program and the PathWays waiver. Homeowners in Michigan City and La Porte can also check their city programs, and rural owners may look at USDA Section 504 loans and grants. Each program is summarized below.
A Medicaid waiver for people age 60 or older who meet nursing-facility level of care, run through Anthem, Humana or UnitedHealthcare. Home Modifications and a Home Modification Assessment are covered services, but stair lifts are not named; REAL Services can help you start.
The companion waiver for people age 59 and under who are aged, blind or disabled, Medicaid-eligible and meet nursing-facility level of care. Home modifications are a covered service category, though stair lifts are not specifically named.
The state-designated aging agency serving LaPorte County, offering case management, information and referrals, and intake for CHOICE and the PathWays waiver. It is not a cash grant and does not list a stair lift benefit; call (574) 284-2644.
A state-funded program for people 60 or older or with a disability who have trouble with daily activities, with no income limit but cost-sharing and a $250,000 asset cap. Environmental modification is a covered category, stair lifts are not named, and it cannot pay where Medicare or Medicaid would; call (800) 986-3505.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for owners age 62+ who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas. Grants often fund accessibility items like ramps, but stair lifts are not named, and parts of the county such as Michigan City may not qualify as rural.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for permanent alterations such as ramps and roll-in showers. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides, so HISA does not pay for stair lifts.
Grants for homeowning veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026), to build, buy or remodel a home for accessibility. Stair lifts are not named among the examples; LaPorte County Veteran Services at (219) 326-6808 can help you ask.
A city program, running since 2004, that funds projects meeting HUD national objectives such as benefiting low- and moderate-income residents. No specific home-modification line item or stair lift coverage is listed; call (219) 362-8260.
Limited help for urgent housing needs for residents who meet income requirements, reviewed case by case with no guarantee of funding. Stair lifts are not named, and the RECAP and Owner-Occupied Housing programs were closed to new applications; call (219) 873-1419.
Older adults
1151 S. Michigan St., South Bend, 46601
Veterans
555 Michigan Avenue, Suite 105, La Porte, 46350
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides as excluded removable equipment. The SAH and SHA grants cover remodeling for accessibility but do not name stair lifts, so ask LaPorte County Veteran Services at (219) 326-6808 whether your situation fits.
Yes, possibly. The Indiana Health and Wellness Waiver serves people 59 and under who meet its Medicaid and care-level rules, and CHOICE accepts people with a disability as well as those 60 or older.
No. CHOICE has no income limit, but it uses an income-based cost-sharing formula and an asset cap of $250,000. Call (800) 986-3505 or REAL Services at (574) 284-2644 to apply.
It may if the home is in a USDA-eligible rural area, your income is very low and you own and live in the house. The grant portion, up to $10,000, is only for homeowners 62 and older, and you should check USDA's eligibility map since areas like Michigan City may not count as rural.
REAL Services serves Region 2 from 1151 S. Michigan St., South Bend, 46601. Their phone is (574) 284-2644, and they can point you to CHOICE, the PathWays waiver and other services.
Usually, yes. Split-levels tend to have short flights with landings, so the fix is often a curved rail that follows the turns or a separate straight lift on each flight, and a home visit shows which makes sense.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
