Edwards County covers about 223 square miles of southeastern Illinois, the fourth-smallest county in the state by area. Every resident lives in a rural setting, and most daily errands lead back to Albion, the county seat, or to West Salem. Many homes here are long-held family houses that owners have no plans to leave.
That makes the stairs inside those houses a real question. When a bedroom or the only full bathroom sits on the second floor, a stair lift is often the simplest way to keep using the whole home. This page covers how local homes affect the type of lift that fits and which programs may help with the cost.
The county's housing is mostly single-family homes and detached houses, with some townhouses and low-rise buildings. As of the 2020 Census there were 3,041 housing units, and 80.0% were owner-occupied. The 2024 median property value was $100,000, well below the Illinois and national medians, which points to an older, modest housing stock.
In a house like that, a straight staircase usually takes a straight stair lift, the most common and least complicated install. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a curve need a curved rail built to the staircase. Townhouses and low-rise buildings sometimes have tighter stairwells, so we measure width and clearance at the bottom and top before recommending anything.
For an owned, paid-off home at this value, a stair lift is typically a far cheaper way to age in place than moving or building a first-floor suite.
Edwards County has recorded a low of -20 degrees F in January 1982 and a high of 109 degrees F in July 1954. Swings like that keep many older residents indoors in bad weather, which makes safe access to every floor of the house matter more.
If the trouble is porch or entry steps rather than an inside staircase, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure or a vertical platform lift may be the better fit. A platform lift also works for someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat. We look at the steps, the ground at the base and how the household comes and goes before suggesting either one.
The county's population is 2,876, and 18.1% of residents are 65 or older. Those numbers line up with what we hear from families here: parents who want to stay in the house they own, and adult children trying to make that possible from nearby or from out of state.
Because the whole county is rural, an installer or repair technician will usually travel farther to reach a home than in more urban parts of Illinois. It is worth asking any installer how they handle service calls and repairs out in the county before you buy.
The 2024 median household income here was $60,519, and the poverty rate was 16.5%, above the national average of 12.5%. Cost matters, so start with the programs below before paying fully out of pocket.
The clearest path for a stair lift is the Illinois Home Services Program, whose home modification page names stair lifts directly, but it applies to people under 60 at application with a severe disability. Residents 60 and older should call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 or Southeastern Illinois Agency on Aging, Inc. at (217) 262-0678 to be screened for what they qualify for.
Veterans can contact the Illinois Dept of Veterans' Affairs - Edwards County office at 23 West Cherry Street in Albion, (618) 367-3064. Homeowners with very low income may also look at USDA Rural Development Section 504 repair loans and grants.
A state program through the IDHS Division of Rehabilitation Services for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe disability who are at risk of nursing facility placement; its official page lists stair lifts as an example of covered modifications. Call (800) 843-6154.
A Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe disability that funds services to physically modify a home for loss of function; the source does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (877) 581-3690.
A statewide referral page for adults 60 and older and their caregivers that lists home modification among Area Agency on Aging supportive services. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 to be connected to the local agency.
A Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents 60 and older covering homemaker, adult day, emergency home response and medication dispenser services; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (800) 252-8966.
The area agency on aging for Edwards County, based at 602 E. 5th Street in Mt. Carmel, offering information, referral and service coordination; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (217) 262-0678.
A nonprofit serving people with disabilities in thirteen counties including Edwards, offering advocacy, peer support and referral, and it can help explain and apply for the state home modification program; its own listing does not mention stair lifts. Call (618) 244-9212.
Federal repair loans and grants for very low income homeowners in USDA-designated rural areas, with grants limited to homeowners 62 and older; the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (800) 414-1226.
A VA benefit for permanent home accessibility changes with a $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime maximum depending on disability status; it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe disabilities who own or will own the home; the source does not name stair lifts among covered adaptations. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
602 E. 5th Street, Mt. Carmel, 62863
Veterans
23 West Cherry Street, Albion, 62806
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Services Program names stair lifts as a covered home modification for residents under 60 at application with a severe disability expected to last 12 months or more. Call (800) 843-6154, or ask Opportunities for Access at (618) 244-9212 to help with the application.
Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966 or Southeastern Illinois Agency on Aging, Inc. at (217) 262-0678. The aging network lists home modification among its supportive services and can screen your parent for the programs they qualify for.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so ask the Illinois Dept of Veterans' Affairs - Edwards County office in Albion at (618) 367-3064 or the VA at (800) 827-1000.
All Edwards County residents lived in rural areas per the 2020 Census, so the county is very likely eligible, but USDA confirms eligibility address by address. Call (800) 414-1226 to check.
Outdoor stair lifts and vertical platform lifts are built for porch and entry steps. With recorded lows of -20 degrees F and highs of 109 degrees F here, we look closely at exposure and footing before recommending a model.
Edwards County is entirely rural, so installation and repair visits involve longer travel than in urban parts of Illinois. Ask any installer how they schedule service calls in the county before you commit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
