Walk through the Ellsworth Historic District in Lafayette and you see Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and American Craftsman (Bungalow) houses built roughly between 1844 and 1936. Most of them are multi-story, and many still have their original interior staircases. Those are the stairs that get harder to climb as the people living with them get older.
Tippecanoe County is more than its two cities, though. Beyond Lafayette and West Lafayette, older residents live in towns like Battle Ground, Dayton, Otterbein, Clarks Hill, Romney, Stockwell, Shadeland and West Point, plus a lot of farmland in between. This page covers how local homes affect the kind of stair lift you need and which programs may help pay for one.
The district's 144 contributing buildings, spread across 34 acres, are a good picture of what we find in Lafayette's residential core. Stairs in houses of this age were built for the room, not for equipment, so we measure every step, landing and turn before recommending anything.
A staircase that runs straight from bottom to top can usually take a straight rail stair lift. If the stairs turn at a landing or wind around a corner, a curved rail is built to follow that exact path. Older homes are also more likely to have a second set of steps to a basement, which is worth planning for at the same visit.
The county's housing also includes split-level homes, townhouses, detached single-family houses and walk-up apartments. A split-level often has several short flights instead of one long one, so the question becomes which flight you actually use every day.
Townhouses tend to stack living space over two or more floors, which makes a stair lift a common fit. In a walk-up apartment, the stairs may be shared or belong to the building, so talk with the property owner before planning an installation. Around West Lafayette, much of the housing near Purdue is rental and student housing, while newer subdivisions lean toward single-story layouts.
Because of Purdue, the county skews young overall, and 11.5% of residents are 65 or older. That older population is concentrated more in Lafayette proper and the surrounding rural townships than in the university core.
About 43.8% of residents own their home. That matters because several funding programs below are limited to homeowners.
The county spans about 500 square miles across 12 townships at the meeting of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers. For a farmhouse or rural home, the first problem is sometimes the steps up to the door, not the stairs inside. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle porch and entry steps where a ramp would not fit.
Where you live also changes what help is available. Some local programs only serve people inside the Lafayette or West Lafayette city limits, while others reach across the county. We note those limits in the program list below.
The most direct route is the Indiana Aged and Disabled (A&D) Medicaid HCBS Waiver, which lists home modifications as a covered service, and stair lifts are named among them by a source that describes the benefit. A modification typically needs an occupational therapy recommendation and case-manager approval, and a waitlist may apply.
For most families, the first call is the Area IV Agency on Aging at (765) 447-7683, located at 660 N. 36th St., Lafayette 47903. They handle intake for CHOICE, the A&D Waiver and other services. Veterans can also reach Veteran Services at (765) 742-1796, 629 N 6th Street, Suite H, Lafayette 47901.
Be aware that some well-known programs do not pay for stair lifts. The VA HISA grant excludes stair glides, and Ramp Up Indiana funds exterior ramps only. Other programs below do not mention stair lifts either way, so ask directly.
A Medicaid waiver for people who are aged, blind or disabled and meet nursing-facility level of care; home modifications are covered, and stair lifts are itemized among them by a source describing the benefit. Indiana is moving much of this population to PathWays for Aging, so confirm the current program name and limit by calling (765) 447-7683.
A state-funded in-home services program for people age 60+ or with a disability, which started in Tippecanoe County in 1988; it covers environmental modification, but the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 986-3505.
The designated Area Agency on Aging for Tippecanoe County and the local starting point for CHOICE, the A&D Waiver and other aging and disability services; the source does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (765) 447-7683.
A grant program that builds exterior ramps for homeowners in Carroll, Clinton, Tippecanoe, Warren and White counties, with an average ramp installation price between $1,000 and $1,500; it does not fund stair lifts. Call (765) 447-7683.
A home repair program for homeowners inside the Lafayette or West Lafayette city limits, with Federal Home Loan Bank funds reported depleted for 2025; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (765) 447-2311.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners age 62+ who cannot repay a loan, in USDA-eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not named in the source. The listed number is (317) 290-3100.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically necessary permanent alterations like ramps and roll-in showers; it does not cover stair lifts, which the VA treats as removable equipment. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
660 N. 36th St., Lafayette, 47903
Veterans
629 N 6th Street, Suite H, Lafayette, 47901
It can through the Indiana Aged and Disabled (A&D) Medicaid HCBS Waiver, which covers home modifications. You must meet nursing-facility level of care and income rules, a waitlist may apply, and approval usually needs an occupational therapy recommendation. Call Area IV at (765) 447-7683 to start.
The CHOICE program serves people 60+ or with a disability who are at risk of losing independence, and it has no stated income limit. It covers environmental modification, though stair lifts are not named, so ask at (800) 986-3505 or through Area IV.
The HISA grant does not; the VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts from it. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either way. Lafayette's Veteran Services office at (765) 742-1796 can help you sort out what applies.
The SHARP program serves homeowners inside the Lafayette or West Lafayette city limits and does not appear to cover unincorporated parts of the county. Rural homeowners may want to look at USDA Section 504 or ask Area IV about countywide options.
No. Ramp Up Indiana funds exterior ramps only. If your entry steps are the problem and a ramp will fit, it may still be useful alongside other funding for an indoor stair lift.
Usually, yes. Stairs that turn or wind need a curved rail made to follow the staircase, while a straight run can take a straight rail. We measure the stairs in person to tell which one your home needs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
