Downtown Monticello still has its 1904 Piatt County Courthouse and two-story brick storefronts along Charter Street. Out in Bement, Cerro Gordo, De Land and Mansfield, many houses date from the same era of farm prosperity. Owners built them with traditional staircases, not open single-story floor plans.
That matters when someone in the family starts having trouble with the stairs. A stair lift lets a person keep using the bedroom, bathroom or laundry on another floor of a house they already own. This page covers the kinds of homes we see across the county's eight towns, which lift tends to fit each one, and the Illinois and federal programs worth calling about cost.
Much of the housing around Monticello, Atwood, Hammond and Cisco is single-family homes with a full second floor or a basement reached by a standard flight of stairs. When that staircase runs in one straight line with no landing, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest and least expensive fit. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster and woodwork in an older house stay intact.
Staircases with a turn, a landing partway up or a winder step at the bottom need a curved rail built to that exact stair. We measure on site before quoting so the rail follows the stairs you actually have.
Split-level homes have short flights between several floors. Depending on where the bedroom and bath sit, one short straight lift may solve the daily problem, or two separate lifts may be needed for two separate flights.
Ranch-style homes look like they have no stairs, but a basement laundry or the steps up to the door can still be the barrier. Townhouses and walk-up apartments usually have one straight interior flight. In a rental, the owner has to approve any installation, so talk with the landlord before anything else.
For steps outside the house, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. Where a wheelchair user cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the type to ask about instead of a chair lift.
About 19.7% of Piatt County residents are 65 or older, and 82.5% of households own their home. Put together, that means many older residents are living in multi-level houses they own and would rather stay in than sell.
The county covers 439 square miles of flat farmland, and about 64% of people live in rural areas rather than in town. Regional hospital, home-care and mobility-equipment services are concentrated in Champaign and Urbana, about 25-30 miles from Monticello. A stair lift at home can cut down on how often a family needs outside help just to get someone up and down the stairs.
The age of the person needing the lift decides where to start. For Illinois residents under 60 at application who qualify for Medicaid and have a severe disability, the Illinois Home Services Program lists stair lifts by name among home modifications it can fund.
For someone 60 or older, the first call is the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging in Bloomington at (309) 829-2065, which serves Piatt County and can refer you to the right help. Note that the Illinois Community Care Program does not list home modifications or stair lifts among its services.
Veterans should know the VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. The larger VA housing grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask before counting on them. The local Veterans Assistance office in Monticello can be reached at (217) 762-8387. The full list of programs is below.
A statewide Illinois Department of Human Services program for Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 at application with a severe disability; its official page names stair lifts among covered home modifications. Call (800) 843-6154.
The Healthcare and Family Services description of the same waiver covers modifications to the home for loss of function in daily activities but does not itemize stair lifts. Call (877) 581-3690 or the TTY line at 1-800-447-6404.
Provides modifications at no cost to qualifying Illinois households with a member who has a documented disability, for homeowners and renters with landlord approval; stair lifts are not listed, and more than 800 people are on the waiting list. Call (217) 525-1308.
Funds health, safety and accessibility repairs for low- and very-low-income homeowners through local grantee organizations, with long waitlists; stair lifts are not listed. Call IHDA at (312) 836-5200 to find the current local grantee.
An information, referral and care-coordination hub for older adults in a 16-county area that includes Piatt County; it is not itself a funding source and stair lifts are not listed. Call (309) 829-2065.
Offers in-home service, adult day service, emergency home response and medication dispensers for residents 60 and older with non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less; it does not cover stair lifts. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility work for enrolled VA health-care patients, but it explicitly excludes stair glides. The Veterans Assistance office in Monticello is at (217) 762-8387.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities who own their home; the VA source does not name stair lifts among covered work. Ask the Monticello Veterans Assistance office at (217) 762-8387 about applying.
A Center for Independent Living offering accessibility and housing services for people with disabilities in east-central Illinois; stair lifts and Piatt County coverage are not confirmed. Call (217) 344-5433 to check whether it serves your address.
Older adults
1003 Maple Hill Road, Bloomington, 61704
Veterans
301 S. CHARTER, Monticello, 61856
Yes, possibly. The Illinois Home Services Program serves Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 at application with a severe disability expected to last 12 months or more, and its official page lists stair lifts. Call (800) 843-6154.
Start with the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (309) 829-2065. It serves Piatt County and handles referrals, though it is not a direct fund for stair lifts.
No. Its listed services are in-home service, adult day service, emergency home response and automated medication dispensers. It also requires non-exempt assets of $17,500 or less.
The HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts, so confirm before planning on them. The Veterans Assistance office in Monticello is at (217) 762-8387.
You will need the landlord's approval for any installation. The Illinois Home Modification Program serves renters with landlord approval, though stair lifts are not on its list and it has a long waiting list. Call (217) 525-1308.
Yes. Stairs with a turn or landing take a curved rail made to fit that staircase, while a single straight flight takes a straight lift. We measure the stairs in person before giving a quote.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
