Ramps and Rails

Our Ramps & Rails projects mostly cover homes, mobile homes, or dwellings where the person owns the home.  We have done projects for renters, but we require permission from the landlord. Please be prepared to explain the homeowner's name, contact info, and relationship to you.

Our Ramps & Rails projects mostly cover homes, mobile homes, or dwellings such as apartments/condos where the person owns the home. We have worked on vehicle wheelchair ramps as well.

The Ramps & Rails project focuses on accessibility issues including wheelchair ramps, steps, porches, and railings.  At this time, we do not cross the threshold for interior projects. We do not do work requiring a licensed contractor (roofs, plumbing, electrical). Be advised that some structures, such as mobile homes, can have specific requirements for working on or near.

Our program is focused on providing safe accessibility for low- and very low-income residents. However, we have worked with others on a case-by-case basis. Once you submit the inquiry form, our staff will contact you to review our requirements and your needs. The question regarding what constitutes "income" can be a confusing one. Please call the Habitat office at 208-883-8502 if you have any questions.

Palouse Habitat for Humanity adheres to federal fair housing policy.  We consider all applications, and we do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, family status or national origin. Palouse Habitat for Humanity is a Christian ministry, but there is no requirement to participate in any religious activities or beliefs to participate in this program. (REVISIT - necessary to include?)

We serve Latah and Whitman counties. Communities where we have completed Home Repair projects include Bovill, Deary, Helmer, Kendrick, Moscow, Potlatch, Princeton, and Viola in Idaho and Endicott, Colfax, Ferdinand, Garfield, Malden, Palouse, Pullman, Rosalia, St. John, and Tekoa in Washington State. We will consider requests for assistance from adjacent counties that do not have a Habitat program on a case-by-case basis. 

When filling out the inquiry form, please let us know if there is a deadline or timeframe we need to know about that would affect this project.  Depending on the availability of volunteers and materials, we have assisted in quick projects to allow people to be released from the hospital after an injury or health incident.  But we work mostly with volunteers and can not guarantee a particular timeline.

The ramp components have been purchased thanks to private donors and several grants. The ramps are available at no cost but must be returned when they are no longer needed. For recipients who are not low-income, a donation is expected to help cover the costs associated with installing the ramp or help purchase more ramp-building materials. There is also the opportunity to invest some of your own "sweat equity" by helping the project by some other means, which could include recruiting family members to help, providing lunch for volunteers, or helping with the installation if you are able. 

Initial inquiries often come from family members, friends, neighbors, care providers, and others who know the individual in need. Our inquiry form asks for information for both the recipient and the person inquiring on their behalf. 

Please fill out our online form to start the process. You should expect to receive a phone call within 2-4 days. If you do not hear from us, please contact the Habitat office at 208-883-8502.  We do contact you by phone - be aware that it may be Palouse Habitat contacting you about your ramp if you don’t recognize a phone number. Be sure to check your voicemails as well in case we leave a message.

Please contact the Habitat office at 208-883-8502 if you no longer need the wheelchair ramp we installed. Many ramp components can be re-purposed for our next project. Our Ramps & Rails team will come and remove the ramp as soon as our team is available.