Many houses in Hartford City and Montpelier went up during and after the Indiana Gas Boom, when Hartford City grew into a regional industrial center. Homes from that late-19th and early-20th-century era, and from the early-to-mid 20th century that followed, often have full staircases to a second floor, narrow stairwells and few no-step entries.
Blackford County has seen limited newer development, so most families here are working with the house they already have. This page walks through what that housing means for a stair lift in Hartford City, Montpelier and Shamrock Lakes, and where to look for help paying for one.
A full staircase to a second floor is the most common reason people call us. When that staircase runs in one straight line with no landing, a straight stair lift is usually the simplest fit. It mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house stay as they are.
Narrow stairwells take more care. We measure the width at the tightest point, check clearance at the top and bottom, and look at whether the seat can fold and swivel so others can still use the stairs. Stairs that turn at a landing or wind around a corner need a curved lift built to that exact staircase.
Ranch-style homes often keep the main living space on one floor, but a basement stairway to laundry or storage can still be a daily obstacle. A straight lift on those basement stairs can solve it.
Split-level homes have short runs of stairs between levels, and a person may need to cross more than one. Sometimes the answer is a lift on the run used most, and sometimes it is more than one lift. Walk-up apartments raise a different question: shared stairways usually need the building owner's approval before anything is installed.
Because many older Blackford County homes have few no-step entries, the front or back steps can be as hard as the inside stairs. Outdoor stair lifts are built for weather and work on porch and entry steps.
Where someone uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift or a ramp may make more sense than a seat. The county is flat, so yard grade is rarely the issue; the steps themselves usually are.
About 23.1% of Blackford County residents are 65 or older, and about 68.1% of households own their homes. That means a lot of people are staying put in houses they know well and adapting them rather than moving.
If that includes someone in your family, the Blackford County Veterans Affairs Service Office at 110 West Washington Street in Hartford City, (765) 348-3151, can help sort out which VA benefits might apply.
The clearest public funding source here is the Indiana PathWays for Aging and Health and Wellness Waiver home modification benefit, which lists stair lifts by name. It carries a $20,000 lifetime cap for home modifications and requires two competitive bids for any modification over $5,000. The usual first call is LifeStream Services at (765) 759-1121, the area agency on aging for Blackford County.
Other programs, such as USDA Section 504 repair loans and grants and the VA housing grants, cover home modifications but their sources do not name stair lifts, so ask directly before counting on them. The VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. Details for each program are listed below.
A state Medicaid waiver benefit that lists "vertical lift or stair lift" as an approved home modification, with a $20,000 lifetime cap, a $1,000 per year repair allowance and two bids required over $5,000. You must be Medicaid-eligible and meet nursing-facility level of care; call the PathWays helpline at (877) 284-9294 or screen through LifeStream Services.
The area agency on aging for older adults, typically 60 and over, and family caregivers in Blackford County; its site does not list a stair lift program, but it is the right first call to be screened for the Medicaid home modification benefit. Call (765) 759-1121.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, for accessibility and safety repairs. The source does not name stair lifts, and eligibility should be confirmed by address.
VA grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) and up to $25,350 (SHA) in FY2026 for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to modify a home. The VA page mentions ramps and widened doorways but does not name stair lifts.
A VA medical benefit of $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for prescribed home modifications for entry, exit and bathroom or kitchen access. It does not cover stair lifts; porch lifts and stair glides are explicitly excluded.
A nonprofit center for independent living for people with disabilities in the east-central Indiana and Muncie region; its website does not list a stair lift program and does not confirm Blackford County coverage. Call (866) 741-3444 to ask.
Repairs or replaces an inoperable heating system at no cost for eligible homeowners approved for utility assistance; it does not cover stair lifts. ICAP serves Blackford County at (765) 288-8732.
Older adults
1701 Pilgrim Blvd., Yorktown, 47396
Veterans
110 West Washington Street, Hartford City, 47348
Often it can, but it depends on the width at the tightest point and the clearance at the top and bottom. Many homes from the Gas Boom era have narrow stairwells, so we measure in person before recommending a straight or curved lift.
The PathWays for Aging and Health and Wellness Waiver home modification benefit lists stair lifts as an approved modification, up to a $20,000 lifetime cap. You must be Medicaid-eligible and meet nursing-facility level of care. Start with LifeStream Services at (765) 759-1121 or the PathWays helpline at (877) 284-9294.
The waiver home modification benefit requires two competitive bids for any modification over $5,000. Plan for that step if you are applying through the waiver.
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants cover home modifications for certain severe service-connected disabilities, but the VA does not name stair lifts for them. The Blackford County Veterans Affairs Service Office at (765) 348-3151 can review your situation.
LifeStream Services typically serves people 60 and over. The Medicaid waiver home modification benefit is based on Medicaid eligibility and level of care, and Future Choices, Inc. works with people with disabilities, so those are worth asking about at (877) 284-9294 and (866) 741-3444.
Blackford County is largely rural, but USDA eligibility has to be confirmed by address. Grants are for homeowners 62 and older with very low income, and the program's list of repairs does not name stair lifts, so ask before relying on it.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
