From Amery and Osceola down to St. Croix Falls, and up through Luck, Frederic and Milltown, Polk County is a place of small towns, farms and lake homes spread across 956 square miles along the Minnesota border. Many of those houses went up during the logging and farming years, and a lot of them still have the same steep, narrow staircases they were built with.
That matters if someone in the house is finding the stairs harder each year. With about 49 people per square mile, moving closer to services is a big change, and a stair lift is often the more practical way to keep using the whole home. This page walks through what Polk County homes usually need and where to look for help paying for it.
Older multi-level farmhouses and lake homes with staircases that were never adapted are common in rural Polk County. When we measure one of these, we look at the width of the stairs, whether there is a landing or a turn, and where the lift can park at the top and bottom without blocking the hallway.
A single straight run is the simplest case and usually the quickest install. Stairs that turn at a landing or wrap around a corner call for a curved lift, which uses a rail built to match that exact staircase.
Polk County has 42 square miles of water, a share of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, and the bluffs around Interstate Park. Plenty of homes near Balsam Lake, Clear Lake and Centuria sit on a grade, with steps from the driveway to the door or from the house down toward the water.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for those exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a short rise, a platform lift can be a better fit than a seat. Getting into the house safely is often the first problem to solve, before the inside stairs.
Not every home here is a farmhouse. In towns like Osceola, Dresser and St. Croix Falls you will also find townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings alongside single-family and detached houses.
Townhouses often have a straight stair inside, which suits a standard straight lift. In a walk-up or a shared stairway, the building owner usually has to approve anything mounted on the stairs, so ask early.
The 2024 median age in Polk County was 46.7, compared with roughly 40 for Wisconsin as a whole, and 20.8% of residents are 65 or older.
For many families, the question is not whether a parent wants to stay home but how to make the house work for them. A stair lift is one of the smaller changes that can make a two-story home usable again.
The program that names stair lifts directly is Wisconsin IRIS, a Medicaid waiver that lists stair lifts under home modifications. Enrollment for Polk County residents starts at the local ADRC, which is also the starting point for Family Care.
Other programs fund home repairs or accessibility work in general without naming stair lifts, so call and ask whether your project qualifies. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, though the Polk County Veterans Service Office at (715) 485-9243 can review other VA options. The full list is below.
A self-directed Medicaid long-term care program for people 65+ or 18-64 with a disability who meet nursing-facility level of care, and its home modifications benefit names stair lifts. Call (888) 515-4747, and note that Polk County enrollment starts at the local ADRC.
A Medicaid managed long-term care program run through a regional Managed Care Organization, with services set by each member's care plan; our source does not list stair lifts. Call (877) 485-2372 to ask about eligibility.
A free information, Options Counseling and benefit-enrollment referral service for older adults, adults with disabilities and caregivers; it is not a funder and its listed services do not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 485-2372.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% for very-low-income rural homeowners, and grants up to $10,000 for those 62+ who cannot repay a loan; stair lifts are not named, though accessibility repairs are. Call (715) 345-7600.
A 0% interest, deferred-payment loan for income-qualified homeowners, repaid only when the home is sold or no longer owner-occupied, with handicap accessibility listed as a qualified repair; stair lifts are not itemized. Polk County residents can call Laura Rushmann at (715) 726-7801.
No-cost weatherization and energy-efficiency work for households enrolled in WHEAP; it is not a stair lift funding source. Call (715) 598-4750.
One-time critical home repair help for very-low-income rural Wisconsin homeowners; stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned. Call (608) 238-3448.
Loans from $500 up to $80,000 for Wisconsin residents 18+ with a disability, with no income limits; stair lifts are not named in the list of covered items, so ask directly. Call (414) 291-7520.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically needed home alterations, but it explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call the Polk County Veterans Service Office at (715) 485-9243.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home; stair lifts are not named among covered adaptations. Call (715) 485-9243.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum) for veterans or qualifying family members with certain service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named. Call (715) 485-9243.
Older adults
100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 60, Balsam Lake, 54810
Veterans
Polk County Government Center, 100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 70, Balsam Lake, 54810
Start with the Polk County ADRC at 100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 60, in Balsam Lake, phone (715) 485-8400. They handle enrollment for IRIS and can refer you to other benefits.
The IRIS Medicaid waiver lists stair lifts under home modifications. You need Medicaid eligibility, a functional screen showing nursing-facility level of care, and to be 65+ or 18-64 with a disability. Family Care may help too, but our source does not confirm stair lift coverage.
The HISA grant excludes stair glides, so it will not. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either. The Polk County Veterans Service Office at (715) 485-9243 can go over your situation.
WisLoan offers loans from $500 to $80,000 to Wisconsin residents 18 and older with a disability, with no income limits. IRIS also serves ages 18-64 with a physical, developmental or intellectual disability.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, and a platform lift can work where a wheelchair is involved. We look at the slope and the steps on site before recommending one.
The USDA Section 504 program offers loans up to $40,000 at 1% to very-low-income rural homeowners, and the West Central Wisconsin CDBG Home Repair Program offers 0% deferred loans that include handicap accessibility repairs. Neither names stair lifts, so ask before applying.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
