From older in-town houses in Stevens Point to farmhouses out in the rural townships near Rosholt, Almond and Polonia, a lot of Portage County homes put the bedroom, the laundry or the bathroom on a different floor from the kitchen. The county's housing has a median construction year around 1979, and roughly 16.5% of homes predate the 1940s. Ranch and split-level styles show up all over the for-sale listings.
That mix of basements, half-flights and second stories is exactly where a stair lift earns its keep. This page walks through how the homes in Plover, Whiting, Amherst, Bancroft, Park Ridge, Amherst Junction, Junction City and the rest of the county's 11 towns tend to shape the choice of lift, and which local, state and federal programs may help with the cost.
A single straight flight from the main floor to a basement or upstairs is the simplest job. A straight rail runs along the stairs, and most single-family homes and detached houses with one uninterrupted run fit this pattern.
Split-level homes are different. They often have two or three short flights between levels, so the choice comes down to one curved rail that follows the turns or separate straight lifts on each flight. We measure every run before suggesting either.
The older multi-story farmhouses in the townships and the pre-1940s houses in Stevens Point can have narrow, steep or winding stairs. Those usually call for a curved, custom-built rail. Townhouses and walk-up apartments raise a different question: who owns the stairway, and whether the owner or association allows a lift on it.
Portage County covers roughly 823 square miles in Wisconsin's Central Sands region, with 104 lakes, about 110 miles of streams and the Wisconsin River running through it. Outside Stevens Point, homes are spread across a rural township pattern, so plenty of older residents live a fair drive from the county seat.
For a home with exterior steps up to the porch or entry, an outdoor lift built for weather exposure is an option. If someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift that carries the chair is the better fit. Either way, we come to the house, wherever in the county it sits, to look at the steps in person.
The county has a population of 45,103, and 14.6% of residents are 65 or older. About 57.1% of households own their home, which matters because most of the repair loans and grants listed below require that the applicant own and live in the house.
If that includes you or your parent, the veterans programs below are worth a call, though each one has its own limits on what it will pay for.
The clearest public route is Family Care, Wisconsin's Medicaid managed care program, whose benefit description names stair lifts as an example of covered home modifications. IRIS, the self-directed Medicaid option, also covers home modifications, but its source does not specifically name stair lifts. Both start at the ADRC of Portage County, which does the required Long-Term Care Functional Screen.
If Medicaid is not a fit, look at the USDA Section 504 repair program for rural homeowners with very low income, the Wisconsin CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program for accessibility improvements, and the WDVA Home Improvement Loan Program for veterans. Other statewide options include the Community Options Program (COP), WisLoan (WisTech Alternative Loan Program) and the WHEDA Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP).
Midstate Independent Living Choices in Stevens Point keeps a list of home-modification funding sources and can help you sort through them. Details for each program are in the list below.
A self-directed Medicaid budget for adults 18+ who meet Medicaid financial rules and need a nursing-home level of care; home modifications are a covered category, but the source does not specifically name stair lifts, and any single item over $1,000 needs an independent assessment. Enrollment starts through the ADRC; the listed phone is (844) 947-2372.
Medicaid managed care for Wisconsin adults 18+ (65+ on the aging pathway) who are financially eligible and need a nursing-home level of care, and stair lifts are named as a covered home modification. The amount is set by the managed-care organization's authorization; call (844) 947-2372 or start with the ADRC of Portage County.
The required local starting point for IRIS and Family Care screening, plus a Loan Closet that lends items like walkers, shower chairs and bath transfer benches at no charge. Stair lifts are not on the Loan Closet list; call (715) 346-1401.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62+ who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in eligible rural areas, including much of Portage County outside Stevens Point. The program description does not specifically name stair lifts or accessibility modifications.
Grants or deferred-payment loans for low- to moderate-income households, with eligible activities that include removal of architectural barriers and accessibility improvements for people with disabilities; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (608) 266-7744.
Pays for permanent structural changes such as ramps and roll-in showers, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status, but it lists stair glides as excluded, so it will not fund a stair lift. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026, to build, buy or remodel a home for accessibility; the source does not specifically name stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Short-term or one-time emergency payments for low-income veterans and qualifying dependents in Portage County based on financial need; the source does not mention home modifications or stair lifts. Portage County Veterans Service can be reached at (715) 346-1310.
A low-interest, fixed-rate loan of up to 90% of home equity for eligible Wisconsin veterans with at least 10% equity, applied for through a county veterans service office or dva.wi.gov. It funds general home improvement; the source does not specifically name stair lifts or accessibility modifications.
A Stevens Point-based center for people with disabilities that shares a list of Wisconsin home-modification funding sources and offers peer support and advocacy; it does not give grants directly and does not specifically mention stair lifts. Call (715) 344-4210.
Older adults
817 Whiting Ave., Stevens Point, 54481
Veterans
County-City Building, 1516 Church Street, 1st Floor, Stevens Point, 54481
Family Care is the program whose benefit description names stair lifts as a covered home modification, for people who meet Medicaid financial rules and need a nursing-home level of care. IRIS covers home modifications too, but its source does not specifically name stair lifts. Both start with a screening at the ADRC of Portage County, (715) 346-1401.
Yes. Family Care and IRIS are open to adults 18 and older who meet the financial and level-of-care rules, and MILC serves people with disabilities in Portage County regardless of age. The USDA Section 504 grant portion, by contrast, is limited to homeowners 62 and older.
The HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not cover one. The SAH and SHA grants fund accessibility remodeling for qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, but their source does not name stair lifts. Portage County Veterans Service at (715) 346-1310 can help you sort out what applies.
Often it does, because a single rail has to follow the turns between levels. In some split-levels, separate straight lifts on each flight work instead. We measure each run before recommending one or the other.
No. The ADRC Loan Closet lends items like wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs and raised toilet seats at no charge, but stair lifts and large lifts are not on the list.
Much of Portage County outside Stevens Point is an eligible rural area for the USDA Section 504 program. You must own and live in the home and have household income at or below 50% of the county area median income, and the program does not specifically name stair lifts.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
