In the city of Colusa, the old civic core still stands. The former Colusa Carnegie Library went up in 1906, and the Old Colusa High School dates to 1926. The houses around them include historic two-story homes with their original staircases, and those stairs are often the first thing that stops someone from living comfortably on both floors.
Out in Williams, Arbuckle, Maxwell, College City, Princeton, Grimes and Lodoga, the land is flat Sacramento Valley farmland, so hills are rarely the problem. The trouble is inside the house or at the front door: a second story, a split level, or a raised foundation with a run of entry steps. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where Colusa County families can look for help paying for one.
Many longtime homeowners in Colusa County are aging in place in older farm-town homes. In Colusa itself, that often means a two-story house with the staircase it was built with. Those stairs can be narrow, steep, or turn at a landing.
A straight staircase with no turns usually takes a straight stair lift, which runs on a rail fastened to the treads, not the wall. If the stairs bend, have a landing partway up, or wind at the top, a curved lift with a custom rail is the usual answer. We measure the stairs in person before recommending either one.
Colusa sits on the Sacramento River at Salmon Bend, just 49 ft (15 m) above sea level, behind a high levee. With ground that low and flat, plenty of homes are built up on raised foundations, which puts a set of steps between the driveway and the front door.
For those entry steps, an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can work, depending on how many steps there are and how much room sits beside them. Summers here bring mean maximum temperatures above 100°F from May through September, so any outdoor unit should be rated for weather and fitted with a cover. Seats and rails left in full sun get hot, which is worth planning around.
Housing in the county also includes townhouses, split-level homes, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. A split-level home often has several short flights rather than one long one, and each flight may need its own lift or one curved rail that follows the turns.
About 58.4% of households here own their homes, so a good share of residents rent. If you rent a townhouse or a walk-up apartment, talk with the owner before any rail goes in, since a stair lift is bolted to the stairs.
Many of them want to stay in the homes they have lived in for years, and a lift is often simpler than moving a bedroom downstairs.
Veterans can start with Colusa County Veterans Services at 251 E. Webster Street in Colusa, (530) 458-0388. That office can help sort out which VA benefits may apply to a home adaptation.
Only one program in our list says outright that it covers stair lifts: the Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver, with home modifications capped at a $7,500 lifetime maximum. It is meant for people who would otherwise need nursing-home care.
Other programs fund accessibility work or offer referrals without naming stair lifts, so it is worth asking directly. Keep in mind that many local homeowners fall under the very-low-income limits used by USDA and Medi-Cal assistance, which can work in your favor when you apply. The program list below shows who to call.
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver for aged or disabled beneficiaries who need nursing facility level of care; it covers stair lifts as a home modification, up to a $7,500 lifetime maximum. Colusa County residents apply through a regional HCBA waiver agency at (800) 541-5555.
A county-run Medi-Cal program that pays for in-home care hours for personal care and domestic tasks; it does not cover stair lifts or other equipment. Call (530) 458-0280.
Information and referral, caregiver support, Medicare counseling and ombudsman services for adults 60+ and family caregivers in Colusa, Butte, Glenn, Plumas and Tehama counties; stair lifts are not listed and it offers no direct home-modification funding. Call (530) 898-5923.
A nonprofit independent living center offering assistive technology and home-access help for people with disabilities and older adults in Colusa, Nevada, Sierra, Sutter and Yuba counties; whether it covers stair lifts is unknown and help is case-by-case. Call (530) 742-4474.
Federal VA grants for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 limits of up to $126,526 for SAH and up to $25,350 for SHA; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (877) 827-3702.
Grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62+ and 1% loans up to $40,000 to remove hazards or improve accessibility in rural areas like Colusa County; stair lifts are not named specifically. Call (530) 792-5800.
Older adults
2491 Carmichael Drive, Suite 400, Chico, 95928
Veterans
251 E. Webster Street, Colusa, 95932
It can, through the Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver. You must be a Medi-Cal beneficiary who is aged or disabled and needs nursing facility level of care, and home modifications are capped at a $7,500 lifetime maximum. Call (800) 541-5555 to reach the waiver program.
No. In-Home Supportive Services pays for in-home caregiver hours for personal care and household tasks, not equipment or home modifications. It can still help someone stay at home; the Colusa County Public Authority is at (530) 458-0280.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to homeowners 62+ who are very low income and cannot repay a loan, for removing hazards or improving accessibility. Colusa County is rural and generally eligible. Call (530) 792-5800 and ask whether a stair lift qualifies.
Start with Colusa County Veterans Services at 251 E. Webster Street in Colusa, (530) 458-0388. If you have a qualifying service-connected disability, ask about the VA SAH and SHA grants, which you can also reach at (877) 827-3702.
It depends on the stairs. A single straight flight takes a straight lift, while stairs that turn, have a mid-landing, or come in several short flights, as in many split-level homes, usually need a curved rail. We measure in person to tell you which.
Passages, the Area Agency on Aging for adults 60+ and family caregivers, offers information, referrals and caregiver support. Its office is at 2491 Carmichael Drive, Suite 400 in Chico, and the phone is (530) 898-5923.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
