In Homer and Seward, a lot of houses sit on hillsides above Kachemak Bay and Resurrection Bay. Builders worked with those slopes by using raised foundations, daylight basements and multi-level layouts, so the kitchen and bedrooms often end up a full flight of stairs above the driveway or the lower floor.
Across the rest of the borough, from Kenai and Soldotna out to Nikiski, Ninilchik, Anchor Point and Cooper Landing, the homes are mostly detached houses, ranch-style homes, split-level homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. This page walks through which kind of stair lift tends to fit those homes, and which programs and offices on the peninsula can help with the cost.
A house built into a slope usually has more than one set of stairs. There may be a run of entry steps up to the front door, then interior stairs between the daylight basement and the main floor. Each set gets looked at on its own when we measure.
A single straight flight with no turns or landings is the simplest case and takes a straight stair lift. Split-level homes and stairs that turn at a landing need a curved lift, with a rail built to follow that specific staircase.
Ranch-style homes are often the easiest, since most daily living happens on one floor. Even there, the stairs down to a basement laundry or up from the garage can be the one spot that becomes hard to manage.
The borough covers 24,752 square miles, and about 77.4% of residents live in rural areas outside the larger hubs of Kenai and Soldotna. Winters are long, and some communities such as Seldovia and parts of the outer coast have limited road access.
That makes the stairs at home matter more. If getting to the main floor is a struggle, an extra trip to town in winter is not an easy fix. When the hard part is outside, on raised entry steps, an outdoor stair lift built for exterior use can be an option. For a wheelchair user, a platform lift may make more sense than a seated lift.
The 2020 census counted 58,799 residents in the borough, with a median age of 42.3 and 19.2% of residents aged 65 or older. Many are adult children helping a parent stay in a house that has a lot of stairs.
Most homes here are owner-occupied; the 2020 census put the owner-occupancy rate at 74.2% across 32,622 housing units. Owning the home makes it simpler to install a lift that bolts to the stair treads.
The local economy leans on commercial fishing and seafood processing, oil and gas, and tourism. That seasonal, resource-based income means many households look for help before paying out of pocket for accessibility work.
None of the programs listed below names stair lifts in its published materials. Some do fund home modifications or home repairs, so coverage has to be confirmed case by case with the program itself.
A practical first call is the Aging and Disability Resource Center run by Peninsula Independent Living Center at (907) 262-6333. Veterans can reach the Service Officer – Kenai at 43299 Kalifornsky Beach Rd #4, Soldotna, (907) 741-9997. Statewide questions can go to the Alaska Commission on Aging / Senior & Disabilities Services in Anchorage at (907) 465-3250.
State Medicaid waivers for recipients who meet nursing-facility level-of-care criteria or have a physical or developmental disability needing nursing-level care; covered services include 'environmental modifications,' but stair lifts are not named, so confirm with a waiver case manager. Call (907) 269-3666.
Helps Kenai Peninsula residents with disabilities or aging-related mobility needs modify their homes, with listed examples like entry ramps, no-barrier showers, handrails, grab bars and kitchen changes; stair lifts are not named. Staff share information on grant programs you may qualify for at (907) 262-6333.
A free information, referral and options-counseling service for older adults and people with disabilities on the Kenai Peninsula, including help with Medicaid waiver applications. It does not fund stair lifts itself, but it is a good first call at (907) 262-6333.
Offers very-low-income rural homeowners up to a $40,000 loan and a $10,000 grant (combined up to $50,000) to remove health and safety hazards or improve the home; grants require age 62 or older, and stair lifts are not named. The property must be in a USDA-eligible rural area, so call (907) 761-7705.
Provides up to $126,526 for a permanent home, or up to $50,961 to adapt a family member's home temporarily (FY2026), for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named. Kenai Peninsula veterans can get help from the Service Officer – Kenai at (907) 741-9997.
Provides up to $25,350 for a permanent home, or up to $9,100 for a family member's home used temporarily (FY2026), for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities; it covers general accessibility adaptation but does not name stair lifts.
A statewide program for income-qualified homeowners and renters focused on weatherization and energy efficiency, not accessibility; stair lift coverage is not listed. Call (907) 338-6100 to check current scope.
Older adults
550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 1600, Anchorage, 99501
Veterans
43299 Kalifornsky Beach Rd #4, Soldotna, 99669
The Alaska Medicaid HCBS waivers list 'environmental modifications' as a covered service but do not name stair lifts. A waiver case manager has to confirm it case by case. Call (907) 269-3666.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to $10,000 to very-low-income rural homeowners age 62 or older who cannot repay a loan. Stair lifts are not named, and the property must be in a USDA-eligible rural area. Call (907) 761-7705.
Not necessarily. Properties inside the Kenai or Soldotna city limits may not qualify, so check the USDA eligibility map or call (907) 761-7705 first.
The Service Officer – Kenai is at 43299 Kalifornsky Beach Rd #4, Soldotna, 99669, phone (907) 741-9997. They can help with the VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants.
Peninsula Independent Living Center runs the Aging and Disability Resource Center, a free referral service with offices in Soldotna, Homer and Seward. Call (907) 262-6333.
Often, yes. Exterior entry steps and interior stairs are measured separately, and a split-level layout usually calls for a curved lift. We look at each staircase during the home visit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
