Allegan County runs from the Lake Michigan shore at Saugatuck and Douglas inland to Allegan, Otsego, Plainwell, Wayland, Dorr, Hopkins, Martin and Fennville. Along the way you find older farmhouses, lumber-era town homes and lakeshore vacation houses. Many of them share one feature: a full flight of interior stairs up to the bedrooms on the second story.
For a family that has owned the same house for decades, those stairs become the main question about staying put. This page walks through how local homes affect the kind of stair lift that fits, and which programs in Allegan County and Michigan may help with the cost.
Farmhouses and town homes from the lumber era were usually built with a full staircase to the second floor rather than a single-level ranch layout. When that staircase is one straight run, a straight stair lift is the simplest install. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls in an older house stay untouched.
Stairs with a landing, a turn or a winder at the top need a curved rail built to the exact shape of your staircase. Older homes often have these turns, so we measure every step before quoting a curved lift.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, and a lift may be needed on more than one of them. Ranch-style homes sometimes still have steps down to a basement or up from a garage. Townhouses and walk-up apartments raise a different question: who owns the stairs, and whether the building or association must sign off before anything is mounted.
Vacation and lakeshore homes around Saugatuck and Douglas are often multi-story, and some have exterior steps to the entrance or a deck. An outdoor stair lift uses weather-resistant parts and a covered seat built for exposed stairs.
If a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a vertical platform lift may make more sense than a seated lift. We look at the entry, the ground at the base and the door at the top before recommending one or the other.
Most of Allegan County is rural. Per the 2020 census, 67.6% of residents live outside urban areas, and the county includes the 45,000-acre Allegan State Game Area. Plenty of homes sit well outside the small cities of Allegan, Otsego, Wayland, Plainwell, Saugatuck and Douglas.
That distance matters. Home care visits and emergency response take longer out in the country, so a safe way up and down your own stairs carries more weight. Living rural can also make a home eligible for USDA Section 504 repair help, covered below.
Both groups have specific programs worth checking before you pay out of pocket.
The only program in our list that clearly finances home modifications is the Michigan Assistive Technology Program (MATP), with low-cost, fixed-rate loans of up to $30,000. A stair lift falls within that home-modification category.
Other programs may help depending on age, income and disability. MI Choice can approve home adaptations case by case, USDA Section 504 offers rural repair loans and grants, and VA grants cover certain veterans. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so veterans should look at other options first.
If you are not sure where to start, Disability Network Lakeshore serves Allegan County residents with disabilities for free and can point you to the right program. Veterans can also reach Allegan County Veteran Services at (269) 673-3333, 3255 122nd Ave., Ste. 200, Allegan, 49010. Statewide, the MSHDA Property Improvement Program (PIP) is another name to ask about.
A Michigan Medicaid waiver for people 65+ or 18-64 with a physical disability who need a nursing facility level of care; home adaptations are approved one by one in the care plan, but stair lifts are not listed in the source we reviewed. Call (616) 456-5664 to ask about intake and any waitlist.
The regional aging agency for Allegan County that handles information, referral, in-home services coordination and MI Choice intake; it is not a direct grant, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (616) 456-5664.
County senior services for residents age 60 and up, including Essential In-Home Supports; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Ask the department whether these supports can go toward accessibility equipment or whether they can refer you to MI Choice or AAAWM.
Rural homeowners with low income can borrow up to $40,000 at 1% interest, and those 62+ may get a grant of up to $10,000 lifetime to remove health and safety hazards; ramps and grab bars are named but stair lifts are not listed. Call the Michigan USDA Rural Development office at (517) 324-5190.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes for veterans with a VA-rated disability. Stair glides are excluded, so it does not cover a stair lift.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to adapt a home; stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (800) 827-1000.
Low-cost, fixed-rate loans of up to $30,000 for Michigan residents with a disability or older adults who need assistive technology, including home modifications such as a stair lift. Call (517) 333-2477.
A free information and referral center for people with disabilities in Allegan and Ottawa counties; stair lift funding is not listed, but staff can help you sort out which program fits. Call (616) 396-5326.
Older adults
1335 W. Muskegon Dr., Muskegon, 49441
Veterans
3255 122nd Ave., Ste. 200, Allegan, 49010
No. HISA lists stair glides among the equipment it excludes. Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities can ask about SAH or SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, or call Allegan County Veteran Services at (269) 673-3333.
Yes. MATP loans of up to $30,000 are open to any Michigan resident with a disability, and MI Choice accepts adults 18-64 with a physical disability who need a nursing facility level of care. Disability Network Lakeshore also serves Allegan County residents with disabilities at no age limit.
Much of Allegan County outside its small incorporated cities qualifies, but USDA checks eligibility address by address with its online tool. Household income must be at or below 50% of area median income, and the grant portion is only for homeowners 62 and older.
Usually, yes. Each short flight is measured on its own, and a home may need a lift on one flight or several depending on which levels you use every day.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for exposed stairs, and a vertical platform lift is an option when a wheelchair needs to get up a short rise. We look at the steps, the ground and the entry door before recommending either one.
For aging services and MI Choice intake, call (616) 456-5664. For a loan that covers home modifications, MATP is at (517) 333-2477, and Disability Network Lakeshore at (616) 396-5326 can help you compare options.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
