Owen County is hill country. Homes sit spread out across the wooded low hills of south-central Indiana, from the courthouse square in Spencer to Gosport and Patricksburg, with the White River cutting southwest through the middle of the county. The 2020 census counted 100.0% of residents as rural, so most of the houses we visit here are on their own lots, not lined up along town sidewalks.
That spread shapes how a stair lift project goes. Older rural and small-town houses often have steep basement stairs, entry steps set into a slope, and layouts that were never planned with mobility in mind. This page walks through what that means for choosing a lift in Owen County and where to look for help paying for it.
Most homes here are single-family homes, along with split-level homes, ranch-style homes and some walk-up apartments. Outside the historic square in Spencer, the housing is mostly older rural and small-town stock.
A ranch-style home usually puts the bedrooms and bath on one floor, so the stair question is often the basement or the front steps. A straight stair lift handles a basement stairway with no turns, and it is the simplest rail to fit.
Split-level homes are different. The short flights between levels and any landings or turns can call for a curved rail, or more than one lift, depending on which levels the person needs to reach every day.
The county's terrain rises to about 934 feet at its high point, 2.0 miles south of Quincy, and a lot of homes are built into that rolling, wooded ground. That often means porch or entry steps outside the house, sometimes on a grade.
For those steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. Where a wheelchair has to get into the house, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat-style lift. We look at the slope, the step layout and how the person moves before suggesting either one.
About 23.5% of Owen County residents are 65 or older, and 65.0% of households own their homes. For many families that adds up to an aging parent who wants to stay in a house they own, where the stairs are the main obstacle.
If that includes someone in your family, the Owen County Veteran Services office at 86 E Market St in Spencer, (812) 829-5158, can help sort out which VA benefits apply.
The county's median household income is $62,464, and the poverty rate is 12.3%. With older homes and modest incomes, many families look for outside help with home accessibility work instead of paying for all of it themselves.
The programs listed below include Medicaid waivers, USDA rural repair loans and grants, VA grants, and local volunteer and nonprofit groups. Be aware that most of their sources do not name stair lifts directly, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Call each one and ask plainly whether a stair lift can be covered in your situation.
Statewide, families also ask about the CHOICE Program (Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled) and the INDATA Alternative Financing Program (AFP). Area 10 Agency on Aging (PSA 10) at 631 W. Edgewood Drive in Ellettsville, (812) 876-3383, is a good first call for questions about aging services.
A Medicaid home and community-based waiver for people 60 and older who meet Indiana Medicaid financial rules and need nursing-facility level of care; it lists home modifications as a covered service, but its source does not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 284-9294.
A Medicaid waiver for people ages 0-59 with a disability who meet financial and level-of-care rules, with a $20,000 lifetime cap on home modifications and a $500 yearly maintenance allowance; stair lifts are not mentioned in its source. Call (800) 986-3505.
A volunteer team serving Monroe and Owen County residents, with priority for elderly or disabled people with low income, that builds ramps and installs grab bars and rails with free labor while the resident covers materials; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (812) 876-3383.
Repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for homeowners 62 and older in eligible rural areas with income at or below 50% of Area Median Income; its source lists ramps, grab bars and walk-in tubs but does not name stair lifts.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime, depending on disability status, for medically needed home changes. It does not cover stair lifts, since the VA excludes stair glides from this grant.
VA grants for homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; the source gives ramps and wider doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts.
A nonprofit ramp construction program serving Vigo, Vermillion, Parke, Putnam, Clay and Owen counties for people with mobility limits; stair lifts are not mentioned in its source. Call (812) 298-9455.
Older adults
631 W. Edgewood Drive, Ellettsville, 47429
Veterans
86 E Market St, Spencer, 47460
Both the PathWays for Aging Waiver and the Health and Wellness Waiver list home modifications as a service, but their sources do not name stair lifts. Call PathWays at (877) 284-9294 if the person is 60 or older, or the Health and Wellness Waiver at (800) 986-3505 if they are under 60, and ask directly.
Yes, the Indiana Health and Wellness Waiver covers ages 0-59 for people who meet Medicaid financial rules and need nursing-facility level of care. It has a $20,000 lifetime cap on home modifications, and a formal assessment is required when the expected cost is over $5,000.
The HISA grant does not, because the VA excludes stair glides from it. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either way, so talk with Owen County Veteran Services in Spencer at (812) 829-5158 about your case.
Their listed work is ramps, shallow steps, grab bars and rails, and stair lifts are not mentioned. Labor is free for Monroe and Owen County residents, so it is worth calling (812) 876-3383 about outdoor steps or other changes.
Often, yes. Depending on the turns and landings, it may take a curved rail or more than one lift, and a home visit is the way to find out which levels can be reached.
Owen County is counted as fully rural, and the USDA Section 504 program serves eligible rural areas. You also need to own and live in the home, have income at or below 50% of Area Median Income, and the grants are for homeowners 62 and older.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
