Coconino County runs from the inner canyon at Grand Canyon Village to Flagstaff's 7,000-foot high country, with 30 towns in between, from Tuba City and Page to Williams, Munds Park and Fredonia. A lot of homes here sit on slopes, and that shapes how people get in the front door and up to the bedroom.
Older Flagstaff neighborhoods hold craftsman bungalows, split-level ranch homes and multi-story houses built into sloped mountain lots from the 1930s to the 1980s. If you or a parent has lived in one of those homes for decades, the interior staircase or the steep entry steps are often the first thing that gets hard. A stair lift is one way to stay put.
A craftsman bungalow with one straight run to an upper floor or a basement is usually the simplest job. A straight stair lift rides a rail bolted to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster and old trim are left alone.
Split-level homes are different. You may have two or three short flights, each with its own turn or landing. Sometimes that means more than one straight lift, and sometimes one curved rail that follows the whole path.
Multi-story houses built into a hillside often have stairs that turn at a landing or wrap around a corner. Those need a curved lift with a rail made to fit that staircase, which takes more measuring up front.
Flagstaff averages about 77 inches of snow a year. On a sloped lot, the entry steps can be the most dangerous stairs on the property in winter.
Outdoor stair lifts and platform lifts can help when the trouble starts before you even reach the door. Winter ice and snow on steps and ramps is a real factor for that equipment, so placement, covers and keeping the path clear all need to be part of the plan.
In walk-up apartments, townhouses and low-rise buildings, an outdoor or shared-stair install may also need sign-off from the owner or association before any work starts.
That second figure matters, because some VA grants can help with lifts and some cannot.
Home values also push people toward staying. The 2024 median property value here was about $448,000, above both the Arizona and national averages, so many longtime owners have good reason to adapt the house they have rather than sell and move.
The main public route in Arizona is ALTCS, which can cover home modifications such as stair lifts for members who qualify for nursing-facility level of care. For veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, the VA SAH and SHA grants can fund lifts as part of an approved housing plan.
Be careful with the VA HISA grant. The VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts from HISA, so it is not a stair lift source.
If you are not sure where to start, NACOG's Area Agency on Aging at 323 N. San Francisco St. in Flagstaff can point you to ALTCS, VA and other options. Statewide programs worth asking about include Arizona Loans for Assistive Technology (AzLAT) and the Senior Property Valuation Protection Option (Senior Freeze, AZ Form 104). Details on each local program are below.
An AHCCCS-run Medicaid waiver that can cover stair lifts as a home modification when the need is written into a member's service plan and the work is done by a licensed Residential Contractor. Call (888) 621-6880.
A VA benefit for disability-related home changes, but it does not cover stair lifts; the VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Call (928) 445-4869 with questions.
VA grants for veterans and service members with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home, and they can fund stair lifts and platform lifts in an approved plan. SAH goes up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026; call (928) 445-4869.
A referral and case management service for Coconino County residents age 60 and older and their caregivers; stair lifts are not listed as something it pays for, but it connects people to ALTCS, VA and other funding. Call (928) 774-1895.
A no-interest 10- or 15-year forgivable loan for income-qualified homeowners, with listed examples like roofs, heating and mobile-home repair; stair lifts are not named in the materials found. Call (928) 444-8894 to ask.
Older adults
323 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, 86001
Veterans
2625 North King Street, Flagstaff, 86004
ALTCS can cover home modifications, and stair lifts are described as an example. You must meet nursing-facility level of care and the financial limits, which for 2026 are $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets for an individual. Call (888) 621-6880.
No. The VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts from HISA. Veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities should ask about the SAH or SHA grant instead, at (928) 445-4869.
Coconino County Veterans Assistance is at 2625 North King Street in Flagstaff, phone (928) 679-7453. The Flagstaff VA Clinic, part of VA Northern Arizona Health Care, is also in Flagstaff.
Outdoor lifts and platform lifts are used on entry steps, but with about 77 inches of snow a year, ice and snow are a real safety factor. Plan for where the lift sits and how the steps will be cleared.
The NACOG Area Agency on Aging serves residents 60 and older and caregivers. ALTCS is based on level of care and financial limits, and the VA grants are based on veteran status and disability, so those may still apply.
Stair lifts are not named in the program's listed examples. It is open to homeowners in Coconino County below 80 percent of area median income who are current on insurance, mortgage and taxes, not in a 100-year FEMA floodplain and without a reverse mortgage. Call (928) 444-8894 to ask.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
