Crawford County covers 563 square miles of forest and rolling ground in Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula, with the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon river systems running through it. Grayling, the county seat, grew up around hunting, fishing and canoeing, and many of its homes are older, modest single-family houses with stairs down to a basement or up to a second floor.
Long winters with real snow and ice make those stairs, inside and out, harder to manage every year for people who have lived in the same house for decades. This page walks through how local homes tend to fit different stair lifts and which offices in and around Grayling can help you sort out the cost.
Most of the housing here is small and older: single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. A ranch house usually has one straight flight to the basement, which is often the simplest and least costly job, since a straight rail can run the length of the stairs without custom bends.
Split-level homes are different. They tend to have short flights between several levels, and getting from one floor to another may take more than one lift or a curved rail that follows a turn. We measure each flight and landing before recommending anything.
Walk-up apartments have shared stairways, so the building owner has to agree to any installation. If you rent, talk to the landlord before you plan around a lift.
Cold, snowy winters are a recurring problem for older residents trying to get in and out of the house. Porch and entry steps can be just as much of a barrier as the basement stairs.
An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts and a cover for the seat and controls. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift at the entry may be the better fit than a seat. We look at the step height, the ground beside the steps and where snow piles up before suggesting one.
The 2020 Census counted 12,988 people in Crawford County, with a median age of 51.0 and 26.2% of residents aged 65 or older. In 15.4% of the county's 5,663 households, someone 65 or older lived alone.
Census data also show 44.3% of housing units countywide were vacant, which reflects how many seasonal and vacation properties there are. Among homes that are lived in year-round, 82.4% are owner-occupied, so most people aging in place here own the house and can decide on modifications themselves.
As of 2020, 99.8% of the county's population lived in rural areas. The largest employers are Camp Grayling and Grayling Hospital, and the rest of the economy leans on tourism, so there are fewer local contractors and accessibility services than in a bigger town.
That makes it worth planning early. If a fall or hospital stay is what prompts the move to a stair lift, having measurements and funding questions already answered can save weeks.
None of the programs below name stair lifts as a covered item in the sources we checked, and the VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides. Still, several of them handle home accessibility or care coordination and are the right places to ask.
A good first call for older adults is the Region 9 Area Agency on Aging run by NEMCSA, which handles the MI Choice Waiver Program for Crawford County. Veterans should start with the Crawford County Veteran's Affairs Office in Grayling at (989) 344-3861. Homeowners with low income may also want to check USDA Section 504 repair help, since nearly all of the county is rural.
Statewide, residents can also ask about MI Coordinated Health and the MSHDA Property Improvement Program (PIP). Details for those are best confirmed directly with the agencies.
A Medicaid waiver that helps people who need a nursing-home level of care stay at home, generally for those 65 and older or disabled adults 18 and older. The source we could verify does not list stair lifts, so ask NEMCSA at (989) 358-4661 what home modifications may be possible.
The regional agency on aging that serves Crawford County, offering care management, the MI Choice Waiver Program, in-home services and nutrition programs. It is a referral hub rather than an equipment fund and does not list stair lifts; call (989) 358-4661.
Based on West M-72 in Grayling, it loans wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, commodes and bath benches and offers in-home help, meals and Medicare/Medicaid counseling. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed; call (989) 348-7123.
Repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum for homeowners age 62 and older with income at or below 50% of Area Median Income in eligible rural areas. Approved repairs include ramps and grab bars, but stair lifts are not named, so confirm with USDA.
A VA health-care benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically necessary home accessibility changes. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts; the county veterans office at (989) 344-3861 can explain what HISA does cover.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. The VA lists ramps and wider doorways but does not name stair lifts; call (989) 344-3861 for help applying.
Emergency grants for Michigan veterans and dependents facing a short-term financial crisis, applied for through the office at 501 Norway St in Grayling. Home modifications and stair lifts are not listed; call (989) 344-3861.
A Traverse City nonprofit serving people with disabilities in 17 counties, including Crawford County. It does not list stair lift or home modification programs, but it is a useful referral point at (231) 922-0903.
Older adults
2375 Gordon Rd., Alpena, 49707
Veterans
501 Norway St, Crawford County Building, Grayling, 49738
Not through HISA, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask the Crawford County Veteran's Affairs Office at (989) 344-3861 to review your situation.
The loan closet in Grayling stocks wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, commodes and bath benches. Stair lifts are not on that list, but the office at (989) 348-7123 can tell you about in-home services that may help in the meantime.
MI Choice is generally open to disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing-home level of care, not only people 65 and up. Disability Network Northern Michigan at (231) 922-0903 also serves people with disabilities in Crawford County.
Yes. The Section 504 grant, up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum, is only for homeowners age 62 and older, while the repair loan of up to $40,000 has no such age rule in the source. Income must be at or below 50% of Area Median Income.
Outdoor lifts are built for weather and come with covers, which matters with Crawford County's snow and ice. We check the steps, footing and snow buildup before recommending a seat lift or a platform lift.
The Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency AAA is at 2375 Gordon Rd. in Alpena, phone (989) 356-3474. Region 9 senior services for Crawford County can also be reached at (989) 358-4661.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
