Sullivan grew up around its courthouse square, and Lovington, Bethany and Dalton City have been around a long time too. A good part of the housing in these four towns was built before the single-story ranch became the default. That leaves many owners in multi-level houses they have lived in for years and would rather not leave.
Outside town, the county is mostly flat farm country, and 69.6% of residents lived in rural areas as of 2020. When the nearest single-story or assisted-living option is a long drive away, adding a stair lift to the house you already own is often the more practical move. This page covers which lift fits which kind of home and where to look for help paying for it.
The common housing here includes single-family homes, detached houses, ranch-style homes and split-level homes. Each one raises a different question when we measure. A straight staircase with no landing usually takes a straight rail, which is the simplest and quickest install.
Older homes near the historic downtown in Sullivan and in the long-established villages often have stairs that turn, narrow, or stop at a landing. Those need a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairway. We measure first so the rail clears doorways and leaves room for others to use the stairs.
Split-level homes have short flights between floors, so a household may need more than one lift to reach every level. Sometimes only one flight really matters, such as the one to the bedrooms. We help sort out which flights to cover first.
Farmsteads and small-town houses often have steps up to a porch or side door. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather exposure. Where a wheelchair has to come along, a platform lift may be the better fit, and that choice depends on the space you have at the steps.
About 16.1% of residents are 65 or older, and 71.4% of households own their homes. Many of those owners have paid off or nearly paid off a house they know well. For them, a lift is usually a smaller change than selling and moving.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs listed below are worth reading closely, since one of them excludes stair glides outright.
Only one program in the list below names stair lifts directly: the Illinois DHS "Home Modification and Assistive Technology" Program, which lists them among its examples. The rest cover home modifications or accessibility work in general terms without naming stair lifts. For those, call and ask before you count on the money.
Age is the first fork in the road. Residents under 60 with a severe disability can look at the Persons with Disabilities Waiver. Residents 60 and older should start with the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (309) 829-2065, which serves Moultrie County as part of Planning and Service Area 5.
Rural homeowners with very low income may also qualify for USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants, depending on the exact address. Veterans can reach the Veterans Affairs Office in Springfield at (217) 782-6641.
A statewide program for people with disabilities that offers financial assistance for modifications, and it names stair lifts among its examples. Call (800) 843-6154 or reach it through SAIL, the local Center for Independent Living.
A Medicaid waiver for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe disability who are at risk of nursing facility placement; it pays to modify the home, though stair lifts are not named. Call (877) 581-3690.
For people with a developmental disability enrolled in a DDD waiver, with caps such as $15,000 per participant per five-year period for Adult Home-Based Services; it mentions ramps or exterior lifts but does not name stair lifts. Call (800) 843-6154.
Funds in-home services such as personal care and emergency home response for residents 60 or older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less; home modifications and stair lifts are not listed. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966.
The referral hub for older adults in Moultrie County, located at 1003 Maple Hill Road in Bloomington; it does not fund equipment directly and does not list stair lifts, but it can point you to home modification help. Call (309) 829-2065.
The Center for Independent Living serving Moultrie County, offering advocacy, information and referral, and peer counseling for people with disabilities; stair lift help is not listed, so ask directly. Call (217) 876-8888.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for owners 62 or older, for very low income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas. Accessibility work like ramps is mentioned, but stair lifts are not named, and eligibility is checked address by address.
Pays up to $6,800 or $2,000 over a lifetime for medically necessary home accessibility work, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026. Covered work includes ramps and wider doorways; stair lifts are not named.
Funds health, safety and accessibility improvements for low- and very-low-income homeowners through local grantees, not through IHDA directly. Stair lifts are not named, so confirm the current local grantee and what it will pay for.
Older adults
1003 Maple Hill Road, Bloomington, 61704
Veterans
833 S Spring Street, Springfield, 62705
Yes, possibly. The Persons with Disabilities Waiver is for Illinois residents under 60 at application who are Medicaid-eligible and at risk of nursing facility placement; call (877) 581-3690. The DHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology Program, which names stair lifts, is another option at (800) 843-6154.
Start with the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (309) 829-2065, which serves Moultrie County. It can refer you to home modification help and to the Community Care Program.
The HISA benefit will not, because it explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants cover home modifications for qualifying service-connected disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so ask before planning around them. The Veterans Affairs Office in Springfield is at (217) 782-6641.
It might if you own the home, have very low income and the address falls in a USDA-eligible rural area. Loans go up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for owners 62 or older, but stair lifts are not named as an approved use, so confirm first.
No. The $17,500 limit applies to non-exempt assets, and the home, car and furnishings are exempt. Keep in mind the program funds in-home services, not stair lifts.
Usually, yes. Older stairways that turn or have landings typically need a curved rail made to fit, while a straight run takes a standard straight rail. A measurement at the house tells you which one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
