Routt County covers roughly 2,368 square miles of mountainous northwestern Colorado, from Steamboat Springs in the Yampa River valley out to Hayden, Oak Creek, Phippsburg and Yampa. Steamboat itself sits at about 6,700 to 6,900 feet, and much of the newer construction there climbs sloped mountain lots with split-level or multi-story layouts.
That means stairs show up inside a lot of Routt County homes, old and new alike. This page walks through which kinds of stair lifts tend to fit the homes here and which programs may help pay for one.
Steamboat Springs mixes an older, multi-story historic downtown core with newer mountain-style building. Builders often use split-level or multi-story designs to work with the slope, so internal staircases are common even in recent homes.
Hayden, Oak Creek and Stagecoach have their own smaller and often older housing. Across the county you will find single-family homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments, split-level homes and low-rise buildings, and each one puts the stairs in a different spot.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings is the simplest case and usually takes a straight stair lift on a single rail. Split-level homes often have short runs between levels, so it pays to look at which flight the person actually uses every day.
Stairs that turn, wrap around a landing or curve need a curved rail built to that staircase. Multi-story homes on sloped lots sometimes need more than one lift, or a lift on the main flight plus a plan for the rest.
Where exterior steps lead up from a sloped driveway or down to a lower entry, an outdoor lift or a vertical platform lift may be the better answer. Platform lifts also come up when someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Vintage, the regional Area Agency on Aging, says Routt County faces housing affordability challenges and that limited housing stock in rural communities makes downsizing hard. In practice, many older residents stay in the multi-level homes they already own, and 69.6% of households here own their home.
About 17.4% of the county's 16,744 residents are 65 or older. Vintage also notes that when snow closes roads or makes travel dangerous, people in outlying areas may go extended periods without services. Getting up and down your own stairs safely matters more when help can be slow to arrive.
Vintage points out that Steamboat's resort economy drives property values that can overwhelm fixed retirement incomes. For many families, that makes outside funding worth checking before paying out of pocket.
The clearest public option is the Home Modification benefit under the Health First Colorado EBD Waiver, which names stair lifts and vertical platform lifts. Routt County residents apply through Rocky Mountain Health Plans, and the work must be prior-authorized before it begins.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides, though other VA grants and the Routt County Veterans Services Office at (970) 870-5469 are still worth a call. Statewide, you can also ask about the Assistive Technology Act Program of Colorado (AT Partners) and the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption (Senior Homestead Exemption). Each program is listed below.
A state Medicaid waiver benefit that covers stair lifts and vertical platform lifts, capped at $14,000 per member (sources differ on whether that is per five-year waiver cycle or lifetime). It is for people 65+ with a functional impairment, or 18-64 with a qualifying disability, who meet Medicaid financial rules and need a Nursing Facility Level of Care; call (800) 221-3943.
RMHP is the Case Management Agency Routt County residents work with to apply for the EBD Waiver Home Modification benefit; its own site does not list stair lifts specifically. Call (800) 346-4643 to start enrollment and service planning.
Serves adults 60+ and their caregivers with home delivered meals, caregiver and transportation vouchers, and SOAR senior centers in Hayden, Oak Creek and Steamboat Springs; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (970) 455-1067 for referrals.
Offers free independent living skills, advocacy, peer support and Medicaid and Social Security benefit help to people with disabilities in Routt and nearby counties; stair lifts are not listed. Call (970) 871-4838.
Offers repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62+, in eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not named. Check the USDA eligibility map, since incorporated Steamboat Springs may not qualify while smaller unincorporated communities typically do.
Pays for permanent alterations such as ramps and roll-in showers, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, but it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for homeowning veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
249 Warren Ave., Silverthorne, 80498
Veterans
135 6th Street, Steamboat Springs, 80487
It can. The Health First Colorado EBD Waiver Home Modification benefit names stair lifts and vertical platform lifts, with a $14,000 cap. The lift must be documented as medically necessary in the service plan and prior-authorized before work begins. Routt County residents apply through Rocky Mountain Health Plans at (800) 346-4643.
Yes, possibly. The EBD Waiver also covers people age 18 to 64 with a qualifying physical disability, blindness or HIV/AIDS diagnosis, as long as they meet Medicaid financial criteria and need a Nursing Facility Level of Care. NWCCI at (970) 871-4838 helps people with disabilities navigate Medicaid benefits.
No. The VA lists stair glides among the removable equipment HISA does not fund. The Routt County Veterans Services Office in Steamboat Springs, at (970) 870-5469, can talk through other VA options.
Maybe not. Incorporated Steamboat Springs may not qualify as a rural area, while smaller unincorporated communities typically do. Check your exact address on the USDA eligibility map before applying.
Many newer Routt County homes use split-level or multi-story designs to fit sloped mountain lots. That puts internal staircases in new builds as well as older ones, so age of the house says little about whether stairs will become a problem.
Vintage, the Area Agency on Aging for the region, runs SOAR senior centers in Hayden, Oak Creek and Steamboat Springs and can be reached at (970) 455-1067. The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments AAA in Silverthorne is at (970) 468-0295.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
