Newcastle's older neighborhoods grew up around coal mining found in the area in the late 1800s. Many of the early-1900s houses there have raised entries, full basements or several interior levels. Out in Upton and Hill View Heights, the ranch-style and split-level homes bring stair questions of their own.
This page walks through how those homes match up with straight, curved, outdoor and platform lifts. It also covers the programs and offices that Weston County families can call about paying for one. If you're helping a parent stay in the house they've owned for decades, start here.
Homes built in the early 1900s often put the living space a few steps above the yard and the laundry or storage down in a full basement. The basement stair is usually one straight run, which is the simplest and quickest kind of lift to fit.
Older stairways can be narrow or turn at a landing, though. When the stair bends, a curved lift with a rail built to that exact stair is the usual answer. We measure every step before recommending either one.
A split-level home has short flights between floors, sometimes more than one. Each flight may need its own lift, or the household may decide which level matters most for daily life and start there.
Ranch-style homes keep most rooms on one floor, but the trouble is often getting in the door. A raised entry or porch steps can call for an outdoor lift built for weather, or a platform lift if someone uses a wheelchair.
Weston County covers about 2,400 square miles on the South Dakota border, from Thunder Basin National Grassland to the Black Hills National Forest. Outside Newcastle, a service visit can mean a long drive on US Routes 16, 20 or 85.
That distance is worth planning around. Grouping the measuring visit and the install sensibly, and asking up front how service calls work, saves trips for everyone.
About 83.8% of Weston County residents own their homes, and 21.3% are 65 or older. That means a lot of long-time owners are aging in houses they plan to keep, which is the situation a stair lift is built for.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA grants and the county's Veteran Service Officers listed below are worth a call before you pay out of pocket.
None of the programs below names stair lifts in its own published material, so the honest move is to ask each one directly about your case. Some fund home repairs or modifications in general, and that is the question to put to them.
For older adults, the Aging Division in Cheyenne can be reached at (307) 777-7986. Veterans can contact the Veteran Service Officers - Campbell, Crook & Weston Co. in Gillette at (307) 696-5048. Other statewide resources to ask about include the Wyoming Technology Access Program (WyTAP), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Wyoming Home Services Program (WyHS) and the Wyoming Property Tax Refund Program.
A state Medicaid waiver that helps adults 65 and older, or ages 19 to 64 with a qualifying disability, get care at home instead of a nursing facility; the program page does not list stair lifts, so confirm in the CCW Participant Handbook or with a caseworker. Call (307) 777-7531.
Offers very-low-income rural homeowners loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest, with grants up to $10,000 limited to homeowners 62 or older, for repairs and removing health and safety hazards. Stair lifts are not named, so ask a Rural Development loan specialist at (307) 233-6700.
Provides up to $126,526 for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to buy, build or change a permanent home. The VA gives ramps and doorway widening as examples and does not name stair lifts, so confirm for your case.
Provides up to $25,350 for structural adaptations for veterans with certain service-connected disabilities, and the home may be owned by the veteran or a family member. Stair lifts are not named in the VA's description, so ask about your situation.
A nonprofit senior services provider based in Newcastle serving older adults in the county. Its public filings do not list home modification or stair lift help, so contact the center directly to ask what in-home safety support it offers.
A statewide center serving Wyoming residents with disabilities of any age, with its nearest office in Gillette; services include the Community Choices Waiver and Veteran Directed Care, but home modifications and stair lifts are not listed. Call (307) 266-6956 to ask whether Weston County is in the Gillette office's service area.
Older adults
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 259B, Cheyenne, 82002
Veterans
551 Running West Drive, Suite 100, Gillette, 82718
Often, yes. Full basements in early-1900s homes usually have one straight run, which suits a straight lift. If the stair turns or is unusually narrow, we look at a curved lift after measuring.
The Wyoming Community Choices Waiver (CCW) serves adults ages 19 to 64 with a qualifying disability who are on or eligible for Medicaid, as well as adults 65 and older. Stair lifts are not listed on its page, so ask at (307) 777-7531.
Yes. USDA Section 504 grants are limited to homeowners 62 or older, while the loans have no such age limit in the program description. Grant funds must be repaid if the home is sold within 3 years.
Distance on US Routes 16, 20 and 85 does factor into scheduling. Tell us where the home is when you call so we can plan the measuring visit and install with travel in mind.
Contact the Veteran Service Officers - Campbell, Crook & Weston Co. at 551 Running West Drive, Suite 100, Gillette, at (307) 696-5048. They can help with the VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant and the VA Special Home Adaptation (SHA) Grant.
An outdoor lift made for weather can run along porch or entry steps. If the person uses a wheelchair, a platform lift is usually the better fit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
