Missaukee County covers 574 square miles of lakes, rivers and back roads, with Lake City as the county seat and McBain and Jennings among its towns. The county is entirely rural, with no incorporated cities, and it holds 33 natural freshwater lakes, including Lake Missaukee at roughly 1,800 acres.
Out here, the closest single-story apartment or assisted living option can be a long drive from the house a family has lived in for decades. That is why many households look at making the stairs they already have safer instead of moving. This page walks through how local homes affect the choice of lift and where to start on paying for one.
Much of the housing here is single-family and detached: ranch-style homes, split-level homes and some walk-up apartments. Census figures point to an established housing stock with little new construction, so most people are working with the stairs they have rather than shopping for a newer single-story place.
A ranch-style home usually means one straight flight to the basement, where the laundry or furnace often sits. A straight stair lift is the simplest fit for that run. Split-level homes are different, with short flights between several levels, and may need a curved lift or more than one straight lift depending on how the landings turn.
With 33 lakes and the Muskegon and Clam Rivers running through the eastern townships, plenty of homes sit on slopes with exterior steps, porches or decks. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather on those runs.
Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift can be the better match for porch or entry steps. We measure the steps and look at the slope before recommending one or the other.
About 23.4% of residents are 65 or older, and 72.9% are homeowners. Many of these households are deciding whether to stay in a multi-level home, and owning the house makes it simpler to install permanent equipment.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs below are worth a call, though one of them explicitly excludes stair glides.
No program in this county is confirmed to pay for stair lifts by name, so the practical step is to call and ask. The Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at (231) 947-8920 handles referrals and MI Choice Medicaid Waiver care management for Missaukee County. The Missaukee County Commission on Aging at (231) 839-7839 keeps a current list of in-home services.
Homeowners age 62 or older with very low income can ask USDA Rural Development about Section 504 repair grants and loans. Veterans should start with Missaukee County Veterans Affairs at (231) 839-4200 in Lake City. Statewide, you can also ask about the MSHDA Property Improvement Program (PIP) and MI Coordinated Health (formerly MI Health Link).
A Medicaid waiver for home and community services, with eligibility set case by case by a care manager; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (231) 947-8920 and ask whether a home modification benefit applies to your service plan.
The regional referral hub for aging services in a 10-county area that includes Missaukee County; it is not an equipment fund, and the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (231) 947-8920 as a first stop.
Based at 2170 S. Morey Road in Lake City, it offers in-home services, rides to doctor's appointments and Medicare plan help; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (231) 839-7839 to ask what is on the current In-Home Services list.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at a fixed 1% rate over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for very-low-income homeowners age 62 or older; the source does not name stair lifts, so confirm current amounts and whether a lift qualifies. Call (800) 414-1226.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary accessibility work for enrolled VA patients, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000 with questions.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350; the source mentions ramps and wider doorways but not stair lifts. Missaukee County Veterans Affairs at (231) 839-4200 can help you sort out eligibility.
Older adults
1609 Park Drive, Traverse City, 49686
Veterans
113 East Prospect Street, P.O. Box 800, Lake City, 49651
No. The HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides and other removable equipment. Veterans can ask about SAH or SHA grants instead, though those sources do not name stair lifts either.
Call the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan at (231) 947-8920 or the Missaukee County Commission on Aging at (231) 839-7839. Both can tell you which current services might apply to your home.
USDA Section 504 grants require the applicant to be 62 or older and to meet very-low-income limits. Grants go up to $10,000 lifetime, and the program does not name stair lifts, so ask USDA at (800) 414-1226 whether your project qualifies.
Often, yes. Split-level homes have short flights between levels, so the answer may be a curved lift or more than one straight lift. We measure each run and landing before recommending a setup.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for exterior steps and weather. For someone who cannot leave a wheelchair, a platform lift on porch or entry steps may fit better.
Missaukee County Veterans Affairs is at 113 East Prospect Street in Lake City, phone (231) 839-4200. The VA's main line is (800) 827-1000.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
