Grand Traverse County stretches from the Old Mission Peninsula, which runs 17 miles into Grand Traverse Bay, to inland hills like Exodus Hill in Long Lake Township. Homes here sit in Traverse City, Kingsley, Chums Corner, Grawn, Interlochen and Fife Lake, and each town has its own mix of houses and stairs.
In Traverse City's older neighborhoods, many homes were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s with full staircases leading to second-floor bedrooms. Add about 80 inches of snow a year, and the stairs inside and outside a house become the main thing standing between a family and staying put. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where to look for help paying for one.
The Boardman Neighborhood Historic District and the Central Neighborhood Historic District hold some of the county's oldest housing. The Central district is home to lumber baron Perry Hannah's 1893 mansion, and the streets around it are full of multi-story homes from that era.
Houses from this period were more often built with full staircases to the bedrooms upstairs than as single-story layouts. A straight staircase is usually the simplest fit for a straight stair lift. If the stairs turn at a landing or wind as they climb, a curved rail built to that staircase is the usual answer.
Before anything is ordered, we measure the stair width, the landings at top and bottom, and how the rail would mount. Older stairs can be narrow, so we check that the seat folds out of the way for anyone else using them.
Outside the historic districts, the county's housing includes single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. Each one puts stairs in a different place.
A split-level home often has two short flights, one up and one down from the entry. That can mean two straight lifts or one curved rail, depending on the layout. Townhouses tend to have one longer straight run between floors, which keeps things simple.
Walk-up apartments are a different case. If you rent, the building owner has to approve any installation, so it helps to talk with them before we visit.
Snow in Grand Traverse County typically falls from November through April, about 80 inches in an average year. That stretches the season for icy porch and entry steps well past a typical Midwest winter, and it raises the fall risk for older adults going in and out of the house.
An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts and a cover for the seat and controls. For a home on a hillside or a lot near the bay, the entry steps can matter as much as the indoor staircase. If a wheelchair is part of the picture, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat, and we can talk through that on the visit.
Grand Traverse County is the most populous county in Northern Michigan, with 95,238 residents in the 2020 census. Its median age is 43.4, and 21.4% of residents are 65 or older.
That means many families here are working out how a parent can stay in a two-story home. Local aging services, including MI Choice waiver care management through the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan, are set up for exactly these conversations.
No single program here is set up just to buy stair lifts, so most families piece together options. A good first call is the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at (231) 947-8920, at 1609 Park Drive in Traverse City. They coordinate access to the MI Choice Waiver Program and other senior services.
For repairs and accessibility work, look at the USDA Section 504 program for rural addresses and the Habitat for Humanity Grand Traverse Region Home Repair Program, which lists accessibility as a priority repair category. Statewide, the MSHDA Property Improvement Program (PIP) and MI Coordinated Health (formerly MI Health Link) are also worth asking about.
Veterans should call the Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs Office at (231) 995-6070, at 2650 LaFranier Road in Traverse City. Be aware that the VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
Provides care management, MI Choice Medicaid, information and referral, and caregiver case management for seniors and adults with disabilities in Grand Traverse and nine nearby counties. It does not list a stair lift or home-modification grant, but it can point you to services; call (800) 442-1713.
Offers 1% fixed-interest repair loans up to $40,000 and, for very-low-income homeowners age 62 and up, grants up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum that may be used to make a home accessible for a household member with a disability. Stair lifts are not named, the address must be in a USDA-eligible rural area, and Traverse City's urban core may not qualify; call (517) 324-5210.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes for veterans with a VA-rated disability. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not cover stair lifts; call (231) 932-9720 with questions.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026. The VA describes uses like ramps and wider doorways but does not mention stair lifts; call (231) 932-9720.
Awards up to $50,000 per approved project to nonprofits that rehabilitate homes for low-income households, so homeowners do not apply directly. Stair lifts and accessibility changes are not mentioned; call (231) 922-4735.
Funds housing rehabilitation, public infrastructure and public services that benefit low-to-moderate income residents within Traverse City. It does not mention stair lifts or describe an individual homeowner application; call (231) 922-4778.
One-time emergency financial help for wartime-era veterans with an honorable discharge who face unexpected hardship, with 90 days of service required for the county fund and 180 days for the Trust Fund. It is not earmarked for home modifications and does not mention stair lifts; call (231) 995-6070.
A no-interest loan with 5-year partial repayment based on income, for homeowners under 80% of Area Median Income who own the home and land, and accessibility is one of its six priority repair categories. Stair lifts are not named specifically; call (231) 941-4663.
A regional disability-services nonprofit serving a 17-county area that includes Grand Traverse County. No home-modification or stair lift funding is described, but you can call (231) 922-0903 to ask about equipment loans or referrals.
Older adults
1609 Park Drive, Traverse City, 49686
Veterans
2650 LaFranier Road, Traverse City, 49686
No. The HISA grant explicitly excludes removable equipment such as porch lifts and stair glides. Veterans can still call the Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs Office at (231) 995-6070 to ask about other options.
Maybe not. Traverse City's urban core may fall outside USDA's rural threshold, while outlying townships in the county are more likely to qualify. Each address has to be checked on USDA's eligibility map, and you can call (517) 324-5210.
The USDA 504 grant is limited to homeowners 62 and older, but the 504 repair loan has no age requirement. The Habitat for Humanity Grand Traverse Region Home Repair Program is based on income and home ownership rather than age.
The Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at (231) 947-8920 is a good starting point. They handle care management and MI Choice Medicaid and can refer you to other senior services in the county.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made with weather-resistant parts and covers. With about 80 inches of snow a year, falling from November through April, many households here look at the entry steps as well as the indoor stairs.
Often they do. Homes in the Boardman and Central Neighborhood Historic Districts were commonly built with full staircases to second-floor bedrooms. Straight stairs take a straight rail, and stairs that turn need a curved rail fitted to the staircase.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
