Most of Port St. Lucie, home to 62% of the county's population, was built from the 1960s onward as a General Development Corporation planned community. Its streets are lined with single-story, concrete-block ranch homes on a platted grid of lots. Up the road, Fort Pierce, the county seat, still has an older, more traditional downtown and riverfront housing stock.
That mix shapes which St. Lucie County households need a stair lift and what kind. A ranch house in Port St. Lucie and a townhouse or walk-up apartment in Fort Pierce, Lakewood Park or River Park call for very different answers. This page walks through those differences and the programs that may help with the cost.
Because so many Port St. Lucie homes are single-story ranches, many families here never need an indoor stair lift. The question usually comes up in the other housing types found across the county: townhouses, duplexes and walk-up apartments.
Townhouses and many duplexes put bedrooms on a second floor, which is where a stair lift often makes daily life workable again. Walk-up apartments are a different case, since the stairway is shared and usually belongs to the building owner, so the owner has to approve any installation.
With 77.2% of county residents owning their homes, most people we talk to can make that decision themselves. Renters should start with a conversation with the landlord before anyone measures the stairs.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings takes a straight stair lift, the simplest and quickest type to install. Many townhouse and duplex stairs fall into this group, but it depends on the floor plan.
If the stairs turn, wrap around a landing or split partway up, a curved lift with a custom-built rail is needed. Some of the older homes in Fort Pierce have layouts that call for this, so we measure every staircase in person rather than guessing.
Outdoor lifts and platform lifts handle steps outside the house, such as an entry or a raised porch. Near the Indian River Lagoon, the St. Lucie River forks and the Atlantic beaches on Hutchinson Island, outdoor equipment has to be chosen with weather exposure in mind.
About 22.7% of St. For many families, that means a parent or grandparent who wants to stay in the home they know.
Veterans in the county can reach the Port Saint Lucie VA Clinic in Port St. Lucie for care, and St. Lucie County Veteran Services at 1664 SE Walton Rd, Suite 205, Port Saint Lucie, can explain which VA benefits apply. Their number is (772) 337-5670.
There is no single program that simply pays for stair lifts here, so it helps to know what each source does and does not cover. Florida's Medicaid long-term care program includes home accessibility adaptations, but decides case by case. The VA's HISA grant excludes stair glides, which is the VA's term for stair lifts.
The Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast is the best first call for most families. It does not pay for modifications directly, but it can point you to Medicaid long-term care counseling and other services.
Other statewide options to ask about include the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. The program summaries below cover the details we have.
Florida Medicaid's long-term care managed care program, administered by AHCA, lists home accessibility adaptation as a required service, but official pages do not mention stair lifts specifically; the plan's care manager decides case by case. It is for people 65 and older, or 18 and older with a qualifying disability, who meet Medicaid financial rules and are assessed through CARES as needing nursing-facility level of care.
A national VA benefit for medically necessary home improvements for veterans with service-connected or non-service-connected disabilities. The VA excludes stair glides (stair lifts) as removable equipment, so HISA does not cover them; St. Lucie County Veteran Services at (772) 337-5670 can explain other VA options.
An information and referral center serving Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties, including counseling on Medicaid long-term care; its sources do not mention stair lifts, and it does not fund home modifications directly. Call (866) 684-5885 to be referred to SMMC LTC and other services.
Older adults
701 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 115, West Palm Beach, 33407
Veterans
1664 SE Walton Rd, Suite 205, Port Saint Lucie, 34952
It may, but it is not guaranteed. The SMMC Long-Term Care Program includes home accessibility adaptation, and official pages do not list stair lifts by name, so the LTC plan's care manager decides case by case.
No. The VA prosthetics site excludes stair glides, its term for stair lifts, from HISA. St. Lucie County Veteran Services at (772) 337-5670 can talk through what else may apply.
The SMMC Long-Term Care Program accepts adults 18 and older with a qualifying disability, as long as they meet Medicaid financial rules and the CARES nursing-facility level of care assessment.
The Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast is a good starting point. Its program line is (866) 684-5885, and its office is at 701 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 115, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, with a local number of (561) 684-5885.
Only with the building owner's approval, since the stairway is shared and usually belongs to the owner. Talk to the landlord before scheduling a measurement.
Most are single-story, so an indoor stair lift is often not needed. Steps outside the house can still be a problem, and an outdoor or platform lift may be 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.
