Alton climbs straight up from the Mississippi River. Many of its blocks were built in the Victorian Queen Anne style during the city's 19th-century river-commerce era, and plenty of those houses sit on hills with steep interior staircases. Downriver, Granite City has its own stock of older multi-story housing. Out toward Edwardsville, Collinsville, Troy and Highland, homes spread out into suburban and rural lots.
Madison County covers 741 square miles of river bottomlands and bluffs, with 30 towns from Godfrey and Glen Carbon to Marine, Hamel and New Douglas. For a lot of families here, moving to a one-story house is not a practical option. This page explains how local homes affect the kind of stair lift you would need and where to look for help paying for one.
The historic hillside districts in Alton are full of older, multi-story homes. Their staircases are often steep, and many of these older homes have landings or turns partway up. A staircase with a turn usually needs a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase, while a single straight run can take a straight rail.
Bluff lots can also mean steps outside before you even reach the front door. Where those entry steps are the problem, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may make more sense than an indoor unit. We measure both the inside and outside stairs on a home visit so you know which problem to solve first.
Across the county you will find single-family homes, townhouses, duplexes, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. Split-levels tend to have short flights between floors, so the question is which flight the person uses every day. Often one straight lift on the bedroom flight handles most of the need.
Townhouses and duplexes usually have one main staircase, which keeps the job simple if the run is straight. Walk-up apartments are different because the stairs may be shared or owned by a landlord. If you rent, get the landlord's approval before planning any installation.
About 17.9% of Madison County residents are 65 or older, and 70.2% of households own their homes. Many of those owners have lived in the same Alton, Wood River or Bethalto house for a long time and would rather adapt it than leave it.
The county sits between the St. Louis core and rural southern Illinois. In the dense river towns, the issue is old multi-story housing. Around Edwardsville and Collinsville, the issue is that single-story housing nearby is harder to find. A stair lift is one way to keep the house you already have working for you.
The Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology program is the one source here that names stair lifts outright. It is delivered locally through IMPACT Center for Independent Living, which serves Madison County. Start there if someone in the home has a disability.
Other programs cover home modifications in general terms without naming stair lifts, so ask directly before you apply. The Illinois Statewide Home Modification Program, for example, had more than 800 people on its waiting list, so apply early. For people 60 and older, SW Illinois Aging Resources (PSA 7) in Swansea at (618) 222-2561 is the local aging office.
The Veterans' Assistance Commission of Madison County, 157 N. Main Street, Suite 115 in Edwardsville, can be reached at (618) 296-4554. Be aware that the VA HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides.
A statewide program for people with disabilities of any age that lists stair lifts among its examples of home modifications, with no dollar cap stated. Call (800) 843-6154 or contact IMPACT CIL as the local delivery point.
A Medicaid waiver for people with severe disabilities under age 60 whose Environmental Modifications category covers home changes that help with mobility and safety, though stair lifts are not named. Apply through DHS Division of Rehabilitation Services at (800) 843-6154.
The Center for Independent Living serving Madison, Macoupin, Jersey, Bond, Greene and Calhoun counties, offering advocacy, peer support, referral and transition help; its page does not list a stair lift program. Call (618) 462-1411.
Funds ramps, interior modifications and accessibility updates for income-eligible households with a member who has a documented disability, including renters with landlord approval; stair lifts are not itemized and the waiting list has topped 800. Call (217) 525-1308 or apply through IMPACT CIL.
A fee-for-service repair program for older adults in Madison and St. Clair counties covering work like grab bars, carpentry and plumbing, paid in full on completion; stair lifts are not listed. Call (618) 465-3298 for an in-home evaluation.
Housing rehabilitation for low-to-moderate income Madison County homeowners covering roofs, electrical, plumbing and HVAC; stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned. Call (618) 296-4386.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 (grants for owners 62 or older) for very low income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not named, and eligibility depends on your address. Call (217) 403-6200.
A VA benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility work, but it explicitly does not cover stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; ramps and wider doorways are mentioned but stair lifts are not named.
Older adults
2365 Amann Dr., Swansea, 62226
Veterans
157 N. Main Street, Suite 115, Edwardsville, 62025
Yes. The Illinois Home Services Program is for people with severe disabilities under age 60, and the Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology program serves people with disabilities of any age. Both can be reached at (800) 843-6154.
The Illinois Home Modification and Assistive Technology program lists stair lifts among its examples. In Madison County it is delivered through IMPACT Center for Independent Living at (618) 462-1411.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask the Veterans' Assistance Commission of Madison County at (618) 296-4554 before counting on VA funds.
Possibly. Section 504 eligibility is checked address by address, and the denser Metro East communities are less likely to qualify than outlying rural towns. Call USDA Rural Development at (217) 403-6200 and ask whether stair lifts are allowed.
The Illinois Statewide Home Modification Program accepts renters who have landlord approval. Get that approval in writing before planning any installation.
Start with the stairs the person struggles with most each day. Outside steps may call for an outdoor or platform lift, and an inside staircase with a turn usually needs a curved rail. A home visit lets us measure both.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
