Adams County runs along the Wisconsin River, with Petenwell Lake and Castle Rock Lake forming its western edge. Towns like Adams, Friendship, Arkdale and the lake communities of Lake Camelot, Lake Arrowhead and Lake Sherwood hold a lot of homes that started as weekend places and are now lived in all year.
That shift matters when the stairs get harder. A cabin built for summer trips often has an interior staircase nobody thought twice about at the time. This page covers which stair lifts suit the homes here and which county, state and VA offices can help you sort out payment.
The 2020 Census counted 16,692 housing units in Adams County, and 45.8% of them were vacant. Most of that comes from seasonal cabins and lake homes that sit empty outside the recreation season.
More of those places are becoming retirement homes. The USDA classifies Adams County as a high-recreation retirement destination, and the county's median age is 53.8. When a vacation home becomes the only home, a staircase to the bedrooms or the lower level becomes a daily climb.
Much of the local housing is single-family homes and detached houses. Many are multi-level with interior staircases. A straight staircase with no turns or landings is the simplest case, and a straight stair lift rides a rail mounted to the treads rather than the wall.
Split-level homes usually have short flights between levels. Each flight may need its own lift, or one curved rail if the flights connect. Ranch-style homes often keep the main living space on one floor, so a lift only comes up if someone needs regular access to a lower level.
On a staircase with a turn or a landing, a curved rail is built to fit that one stairway. Steps outside, such as from a deck down toward the water, call for an outdoor-rated model, and a platform lift is the option when a wheelchair has to move between levels. We measure on site before recommending any of these.
Owners occupied 83.2% of occupied housing in the 2020 Census, so most households here can decide on a lift themselves. If you rent, including in a walk-up apartment, talk with the landlord before anything is installed.
The Adams County Veterans Service office in Friendship can walk a veteran through the VA housing grants listed below, though one of them, HISA, specifically excludes stair glides.
None of the programs below name stair lifts as a covered item in the sources reviewed, and the VA HISA grant rules them out. That does not mean the answer is always no. Several programs fund home modifications or accessibility repairs in general, and a caseworker can tell you whether a lift can go in your plan.
The Adams County ADRC at 108 E. North St. in Friendship, (608) 339-4251, is the best first call. It handles screening for Family Care and IRIS, and you can also ask about statewide options such as the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP).
Homeowners with lower incomes can look at the county CDBG housing rehabilitation loan, which lists handicap accessibility as an eligible repair category, and the USDA Section 504 program for rural homeowners.
A Medicaid long-term-care benefit that authorizes home modifications item by item through a care plan, run in Adams County by Lakeland Care, Inc.; stair lifts are not listed in the sources we could confirm. Screening goes through the Adams County ADRC at (608) 339-4251.
A self-directed Medicaid option where modifications come out of your approved budget, and any modification over $1,000 needs an independent accessibility assessment; stair lifts are not listed in the sources. Call the ADRC at (608) 339-4251 to start.
An information, assessment and referral office for older adults, adults with disabilities and their families, with no stated income limit for counseling; it does not fund stair lifts itself. Call (608) 339-4251.
A 0% interest, deferred-payment loan for low-to-moderate income homeowners that lists handicap accessibility as an eligible repair category, though stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 552-6330.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income rural homeowners, with grants for those 62 and older; accessibility improvements are mentioned, but stair lifts are not named.
A lifetime grant of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically needed home changes; stair glides are specifically excluded. Call (608) 339-4221 for help with other VA options.
Up to $126,526 for FY2026 across up to 6 projects for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not listed. Call (608) 339-4221.
Up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not listed. Call (608) 339-4221.
A referral and advocacy office at 108 E. North Street, Suite 4, Friendship that helps veterans and families apply for VA and state benefits; it does not fund modifications directly. Call (608) 339-4221.
This affiliate currently advertises new-construction homeownership and its ReStore, not repair or accessibility work, so stair lifts are not listed.
Older adults
108 E. North St., Friendship, 53934
Veterans
108 E. North Street, Suite 4, Friendship, 53934
Many multi-level homes here have interior staircases that suit a straight stair lift. If the stairs turn or have a landing, a curved rail is made to fit. We measure on site to confirm.
The HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way. The Adams County Veterans Service office at (608) 339-4221 can review what applies to you.
Both programs fund home modifications through an individual plan, but the sources we could confirm do not list stair lifts. For a single applicant in 2026, the income limit is $2,982 a month and the asset limit is $2,000. The ADRC at (608) 339-4251 handles screening.
The Adams County CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program offers a 0% interest deferred loan for income-qualified homeowners, due when the home is sold or you move out. Handicap accessibility is an eligible category. Call (800) 552-6330.
USDA Section 504 offers grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older in eligible rural areas. Stair lifts are not named, but accessibility improvements are. Check your address on USDA's eligibility map.
The Adams County ADRC at 108 E. North St. in Friendship, (608) 339-4251, is a good first stop. It can assess needs and refer you to Family Care, IRIS and other programs.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
