Brown County runs along the Fox River in northeastern Wisconsin, from the older neighborhoods of Green Bay out through De Pere, Howard, Ashwaubenon, Bellevue and Allouez to rural places like Pulaski, Wrightstown, Denmark, Greenleaf and Dyckesville. Green Bay has been building homes since its earliest settlement. The Tank Cottage, built in 1776, still stands as the oldest building from the state's early years.
That long history means the 13 towns in this county hold very different staircases. A paper-mill era house near downtown Green Bay may have a narrow, steep original stair, while a split-level in Suamico or Hobart has short flights broken up by landings. This page walks through what those homes mean for a stair lift and where Brown County families can look for help paying for one.
Green Bay grew in waves, with large neighborhoods built during the immigration years and later around paper manufacturing. Many of those older multi-story homes kept their original staircases, and those are often narrower than what newer builders put in.
A narrow stair does not rule out a stair lift. A straight rail mounts to the treads, not the wall, and the seat folds up so others can still use the stairs. If the stair turns at the top or bottom, or has a landing partway up, a curved rail built to that exact shape is usually the answer.
Out in Howard, Ashwaubenon, Bellevue and the other suburbs, you see single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses and split-level homes. Many newer houses in the outlying townships are single-story, which can mean the only stairs are to the basement or the front door.
Split-level homes are their own puzzle. Each flight is short, but there may be two or three of them, so a family has to decide which level matters most: usually the one with the bedroom and bathroom. Townhouses and walk-up apartments often have one long straight flight, which is the simplest and least involved install. In a rented unit, check with the owner before anything is bolted to the stairs.
Brown County covers 616 square miles, and outside Green Bay much of it is rural and agricultural. On a farmhouse or a rural home, the hardest steps are often the ones outside: the porch or the side door to the driveway.
An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts and a cover for the seat, and it is a different unit from an indoor model. Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift or a ramp may fit better than a chair-style lift. We look at the entry along with the inside stairs so the whole route from car to bedroom works.
About 15.9% of county residents are 65 or older, and 62.4% own their homes. Homeowners can install a stair lift without asking anyone's permission, and several of the funding programs below require that you own and live in the home.
If that includes someone in your family, start with Brown County Veterans Services at 305 E Walnut Street, Room 300, Green Bay, phone (920) 448-4450, because the VA rules on stair lifts are specific and easy to get wrong.
The clearest public option is the Wisconsin IRIS Program, which names stair lifts as a covered home modification. To get there, you first contact the ADRC of Brown County at 111 N. Jefferson St., Green Bay, 54301, phone (920) 448-4300. The ADRC is also the front door for Family Care and Family Care Partnership.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Other programs, including the USDA Section 504 loans and grants, the Northeastern Wisconsin Housing CDBG Loan Program and the Options for Independent Living HOME loan, fund home repairs or accessibility work but do not name stair lifts, so ask directly before you count on them.
Statewide, you can also ask the ADRC about the Community Options Program (COP) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP). Each program is summarized below with its phone number.
A self-directed Medicaid long-term care program with no waitlist that lists stair lifts as a covered home modification, requested through your IRIS consultant. Eligibility requires Nursing Facility Level of Care and a 2026 limit of $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets for a single applicant; start with the local ADRC or call (888) 515-4747.
Managed-care Medicaid programs for people 65+ or 18-64 with a disability who meet Nursing Facility Level of Care, run in Brown County by contracted managed care organizations. The source lists grab bars, wheelchair ramps and widening doorways but does not name stair lifts; call (800) 362-3002.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home changes such as permanent ramps and roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts, which the VA excludes as stair glides; call (920) 448-4450 for help with veteran benefits.
Grants for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. The VA page gives ramps and wider doorways as examples and does not name stair lifts; call (920) 448-4450.
Loans up to $20,000 at 1% for very-low-income rural homeowners, plus grants up to $7,500 for homeowners 62 and older, with eligibility depending on the address. Stair lifts are not named among covered repairs; call (715) 345-7600.
Zero-percent deferred rehab loans for low- and moderate-income homeowners, including accessibility work such as ramps and wider doorways; stair lifts are not named. The City of Green Bay is not eligible, so this serves the county's smaller municipalities and townships; call (920) 448-6480.
A Green Bay-based Center for Independent Living offering deferred, no-interest loans for ramps, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom modifications in homes with an elderly or disabled member. Stair lifts are not named on the source; call (920) 490-0500.
A statewide loan program for Wisconsin residents with disabilities who need assistive technology to live independently or work. Stair lifts are not mentioned as a financeable item; call (920) 490-0500 to ask.
Free information and options counseling for older adults and people with disabilities, and the required first stop for IRIS, Family Care and Family Care Partnership. It does not fund stair lifts itself; call (920) 448-4300.
County office at 305 E Walnut Street, Room 300, Green Bay, that helps veterans, dependents and survivors apply for federal VA benefits. It does not issue its own grants; call (920) 448-4450.
Older adults
111 N. Jefferson St., Green Bay, 54301
Veterans
305 E Walnut Street, Room 300, Green Bay, 54301
The Wisconsin IRIS Program is the one that names stair lifts as a covered home modification. You apply by contacting the ADRC of Brown County at (920) 448-4300, and the request later goes through your IRIS consultant, usually after an accessibility assessment.
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts on the VA page, so ask Brown County Veterans Services at (920) 448-4450 to check what applies to his rating.
Family Care and Family Care Partnership accept adults age 18 to 64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability, as long as they meet Nursing Facility Level of Care. IRIS uses the same functional screen. The ADRC can start the screening.
No. Green Bay receives its own CDBG funds directly from HUD, so it is not eligible for the Northeastern Wisconsin Housing CDBG Loan Program. Homeowners in the county's smaller municipalities and townships can call (920) 448-6480.
The USDA Section 504 program serves very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas, and parts of Brown County outside Green Bay's urbanized area typically qualify. Homeowners 62 and older may get a grant of up to $7,500, though stair lifts are not named as a covered repair. Call (715) 345-7600 to check the address.
Yes, but each short flight usually needs its own lift or a curved rail that follows the turns. Most families focus on the flight that leads to the bedroom and bathroom first.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
