Steuben County sits in the far northeast corner of Indiana, with 105 lakes spread across 322.47 square miles. Many homes cluster around Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Jimmerson Lake, Lake Gage and Crooked Lake, while Angola holds the older in-town core around the Steuben County Courthouse.
That mix shapes how a stair lift goes into a house here. A lake home in Pleasant Lake, Snow Lake or Otter Lake can pose different problems than a split-level in Angola or a farmhouse outside Fremont, Hamilton, Hudson or Orland. This page walks through what to look for and who to call about paying for it.
Housing in the county runs from detached houses and ranch-style homes to split-level homes, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. Each one points toward a different kind of lift.
A single straight staircase, common in many detached houses and basement stairs under ranch-style homes, usually takes a straight rail. Split-level homes often have short runs between levels, so the question is which run matters most for daily life. Stairs with a landing or a turn need a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase.
Walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings add a step: a renter needs the owner's permission before anything is bolted to the stairs.
With 13.53 square miles of water inside the county, plenty of houses sit on lots that drop toward a shoreline. Outdoor steps from a driveway to a front door, or from the house down toward the water, call for an outdoor-rated lift built to handle weather.
Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift may be the better fit than a chair-style stair lift. We measure the full route a person actually walks each day before suggesting either one.
About 18.4% of residents are 65 or older, and 70.6% of households own their homes. Owners can make permanent changes like a mounted rail, which keeps the door open to staying put instead of moving.
Roughly 63.2% of residents live in rural areas, with the urban share concentrated in Angola. Out at the lake and farm properties, in-home services and contractors can be harder to line up, so it helps to start planning early.
The one program in our facts that names stair lifts outright is the Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver / Health and Wellness Waiver, which lists stair lifts under its home modifications benefit. It has income and level-of-care rules, so an assessment comes first.
Other programs cover home repairs or environmental modifications without naming stair lifts. Those include the CHOICE Program, USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, and a local CDBG rehab program if one is active. The VA HISA grant does not pay for stair glides.
A good first call is Aging & In-Home Services of NE Indiana at (260) 745-1200. That office is the local intake point for CHOICE and waiver applications for Steuben County residents.
A Medicaid waiver that lists stair lifts among its covered home modifications, for people who meet nursing-facility level of care and earn up to $2,829 a month (2024 figure). Since 7/1/2024 it is split by age, with PathWays for age 60+ and Health and Wellness for ages 59 and under; call (800) 403-0864.
A state-funded program for people age 60 or older, or with a disability, who have trouble with daily activities; it covers environmental modification but its source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 986-3505.
Not a cash grant, but the local intake and case-management office for CHOICE and waiver applications; it does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (260) 745-1200.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for owners age 62+, for low-income owners in eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (260) 244-6266.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home changes, but it specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named in the source, so ask the Steuben County Veteran Service Office at (260) 668-1000.
A center that serves Steuben County with information, referral, skills training and advocacy rather than cash; no stair lift funding is listed. Call (260) 441-0551.
Funds about $5,000 per household for income-qualified owner-occupied repairs, including some interior accessibility work, but only where a county or town has an active local program; stair lifts are not named.
Older adults
8101 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, 46804
Veterans
317 S. Wayne Street, Suite 2B, Angola, 46703
The Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver / Health and Wellness Waiver lists stair lifts as a covered home modification. You need to meet nursing-facility level of care and the income limit, which was $2,829 a month in 2024. Call (800) 403-0864 or Aging & In-Home Services of NE Indiana at (260) 745-1200.
Yes. The Health and Wellness Waiver covers ages 59 and under, and CHOICE accepts people of any age who have a disability. The League for the Blind & Disabled at (260) 441-0551 can also point you to resources.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either. The Steuben County Veteran Service Office at (260) 668-1000, on S. Wayne Street in Angola, can review what else might apply.
Often, yes. Outdoor steps need a lift rated for weather, and if the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may work better than a seat. We look at the slope and the full path before recommending one.
Rural owners may qualify for USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, and Steuben County is USDA rural-eligible. Call (260) 244-6266 to check income limits for your household.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
