From the older streets of Sterling and Rock Falls to the river town of Fulton and farm country around Prophetstown, Tampico and Lyndon, Whiteside County is full of houses that were built with the bedrooms upstairs. Many went up well before single-level ranch layouts became standard, and plenty of them are still owned by the people who raised families in them.
That is where a stair lift earns its place. It lets someone keep using the whole house instead of moving to a single-story place or assisted living, which in a 697-square-mile county with a large rural share can mean moving far from familiar towns. This page covers what kind of lift tends to fit local homes and which programs may help with the cost.
Sterling grew from 1834 onward as an industrial city, home to Northwestern Steel & Wire and the Wahl Clipper Corporation. Its housing reflects that history, with established homes and historic structures such as the Lincoln-Manahan Home. In Sterling, 20.7% of residents were 65 or older at the 2020 census.
Older two-story houses often have a single straight staircase, which is the simplest and usually least costly lift to install. Where a staircase turns at a landing or has narrow treads, a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs is the answer. We measure on site before recommending either one.
Across the county you will also find split-level homes, townhouses, detached houses and walk-up apartments. Split-levels have several short flights, so the question is which flight matters most day to day, and whether one lift or more makes sense.
Townhouses tend to have long, steep straight runs that suit a straight lift well. In a walk-up apartment, the stairs are usually shared, so the building owner has to approve any installation. It helps to have that conversation before scheduling a visit.
About 43.6% of county residents lived in rural areas at the 2020 census, and the county runs along the Mississippi River on its west side. In towns like Albany, Erie and Como, and on farm properties in between, the trouble spot is sometimes the outdoor steps to the porch or a raised entry, not the inside stairs.
Winters here are hard. The county recorded a low of -30 degF in February 1905. An outdoor stair lift needs to be a model built for weather and should have a cover, and for a wheelchair user a platform lift may work better than a seat. We look at the entry, the slope and the path to the car before suggesting one.
Roughly 21.8% of Whiteside County residents are 65 or older, and 68.8% own their homes. That adds up to a lot of long-time owners with stairs they climb every day.
If that includes your parent, the Whiteside County Veterans Assistance Commission at 15 West 3rd Street in Sterling, (815) 626-8640, is a good local office to ask about VA benefits before you buy.
The median home value in the county is $127,100 and the median household income is $67,500, so for many families a stair lift is a lower-cost choice than moving. Still, the cost matters, and help depends mostly on age, disability and income.
Under 60 with a severe disability, the Illinois DHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology program names stair lifts directly. At 60 and older, the first call is usually the Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (815) 226-4901. The ATLOAN$ loan program can help adults with disabilities and their families finance home modifications, and veterans should know that the HISA benefit excludes stair glides. Each program is summarized below.
A state Medicaid waiver service for Illinois residents under 60 at application with a severe, long-lasting disability who are at risk of nursing facility placement; its official page lists stair lifts as an example. Call (800) 843-6154, or start with Northwestern Illinois Center for Independent Living in Sterling.
Funds home modifications that improve safety and mobility for Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 with a severe disability; stair lifts are not listed on the program page. Call (877) 581-3690.
Loans for Illinois residents 18 and older with a disability, or their family members, to buy assistive technology and home modifications, which covers a stair lift. Call (800) 843-6154.
A $4.5 million statewide home modification fund for people with disabilities not already served by the Home Services Program; stair lifts are not itemized. Call (800) 843-6154 or ask NICIL whether the fund has capacity.
Health, safety and accessibility repairs for low- and very-low-income homeowners, applied for through local grantee organizations; stair lifts are not listed and waitlists are long. Call IHDA at (312) 836-5200 to find the current local grantee.
Up to $60,000 per household for low-to-moderate income owner-occupied homes, but only in communities that have won a CDBG award; stair lifts are not listed. Ask your city or village whether it has an active award.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for owners 62 and older, in eligible rural areas; stair lifts are not listed among the accessibility repairs named. Check your address and call (217) 403-6200.
A lifetime benefit of $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility improvements for enrolled VA patients. It specifically excludes stair glides, so it does not cover a stair lift.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; stair lifts are not mentioned on the VA page. The Whiteside County Veterans Assistance Commission at (815) 626-8640 can help with questions.
The referral and coordination hub for older adults in a nine-county area that includes Whiteside County; it is not a stair lift fund itself. Call (815) 226-4901 as a first step at age 60 or older.
In-home services, adult day service, emergency home response and medication dispensers for people 60 and older with assets of $17,500 or less; home modifications and stair lifts are not listed. Call the Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8966.
The Sterling-based Center for Independent Living serving Whiteside, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee and Ogle counties, and the local door to state home modification programs; stair lift services are not itemized. Call (815) 625-7860.
A Sterling senior center at 1207 W. 9th St. offering meals, exercise, day trips, support groups and transportation referrals; it does not list stair lift help but can point you toward programs. Call (815) 622-9230.
Older adults
1111 South Alpine Road, Suite 600, Rockford, 61108
Veterans
15 West 3rd Street, Sterling, 61081
Yes. The Illinois DHS Home Modification and Assistive Technology program serves Medicaid-eligible residents under 60 with a severe disability and names stair lifts as an example. Call (800) 843-6154 or Northwestern Illinois Center for Independent Living at (815) 625-7860.
Start with the Northwestern Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (815) 226-4901, which serves Whiteside County. The Whiteside County Senior Center in Sterling, (815) 622-9230, can also help with referrals.
The VA HISA benefit excludes stair glides, so it will not. SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either, so ask the Whiteside County Veterans Assistance Commission at (815) 626-8640 how they apply to your situation.
Possibly. Section 504 repair loans and grants serve homeowners in eligible rural areas, but eligibility is checked by address and stair lifts are not named on the program list. Call (217) 403-6200 to check.
The ATLOAN$ program lends to Illinois residents 18 and older with a disability, and their families, for home modifications. Call (800) 843-6154 to ask about terms.
Usually, yes. Each short flight is its own run, so we look at which stairs are used most and whether a straight or curved lift fits each one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
