Savannah is built around 22 parklike squares, and the streets around them hold some of the oldest homes in the state. Many of those houses in the Savannah Historic District and the Savannah Victorian Historic District are multi-story homes from the 19th century, which means the bedroom and the only full bath are often a flight or two up.
The rest of Chatham County covers a lot of ground, from Pooler and Port Wentworth to Wilmington Island, Skidaway Island and Tybee Island. This page walks through how the homes here affect which stair lift fits, and which local and state programs are worth a phone call before you buy.
Historic homes near the squares, including well-known places like the Gingerbread House, were built long before anyone planned for aging in place. Staircases in houses of that era can turn, narrow or land on a mid-floor platform.
A straight stair lift rides a rail on one straight run, so it only works if the staircase has no turns. When a staircase bends or has a landing, a curved lift with a custom-built rail is usually the answer, and we measure the stairs in person before quoting one.
Owners in the historic districts often want to keep the woodwork and banisters intact. Most stair lift rails mount to the stair treads rather than the wall, which helps leave original walls and railings alone.
Outside the historic core, Chatham County housing includes single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. Townhouses and duplexes tend to have tight, straight stairs, which are often a good match for a straight lift.
About 54.4% of households here own their homes. If you rent, talk with your landlord before ordering anything, since a lift is attached to the stairs and the owner has to agree to the installation.
Chatham County is Georgia's easternmost coastal county, and about 206 of its 632 square miles are water. That low-lying, tidal landscape shapes homes in places like Isle of Hope, Dutch Island, Talahi Island, Whitemarsh Island and Thunderbolt.
If the hard part is getting from the driveway or yard up to the front door, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure can handle exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to stay in the chair, a platform lift is the option to ask about instead of a seated lift.
One point matters before you apply: the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
The VA's SAH and SHA grants fund larger adaptation projects for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities. The VA does not list stair lifts by name for those grants, so ask before counting on them. The Georgia Department of Veterans Service – Savannah Veterans Field Service Office at 1170 Shawnee Street, Savannah, can be reached at (912) 920-0214.
Roughly 16.5% of Chatham County residents are 65 or older, and the regional aging network is the usual first stop. The Coastal Georgia Regional Commission AAA in Darien, at (912) 262-2960, screens residents for home and community services and can tell you whether a home-modification benefit applies.
Georgia's Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program funds in-home care for people who would otherwise need a nursing facility, though its overview does not say whether stair lifts are included. Other statewide programs to ask about include the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), the Home Access Program, the Credit-Able Loan Program, the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and the SOURCE Waiver.
For local nonprofit help that may have funding at a given time, United Way of the Coastal Empire runs a 211 resource line at (912) 651-7700. Details for each program are listed below.
The regional intake and referral office for older adults and adults with disabilities in nine coastal counties, including Chatham; its published materials do not mention stair lifts, but it is where you get screened for services and asked about home-modification help. Call the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission AAA at (912) 262-2960.
A Medicaid waiver that pays for in-home long-term-care services for elderly or disabled Georgians instead of nursing-facility placement; the overview reviewed does not say whether stair lifts or home modifications are covered. Chatham County residents start through the Coastal Georgia AAA/ADRC, and the Department of Community Health can be reached at (404) 656-4507.
A lifetime VA grant for medically necessary structural changes such as entrance access and bathroom access, up to $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. It does not cover stair lifts, since the VA excludes stair glides from the grant.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or adapt a home, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026. The VA source does not list stair lifts by name, so confirm with the VA before planning one into a project.
A free referral line serving Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty and Long counties that routes callers to local housing, health and other services; it does not list stair lift programs by name. Call (912) 651-7700.
Older adults
1181 Coastal Way, Darien, 31305
Veterans
1170 Shawnee Street, Savannah, 31419
Usually, yes. Many 19th-century homes in the historic districts have stairs that turn or have landings, which calls for a curved lift with a rail built to the measurements of your staircase.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund larger adaptations for veterans with certain severe disabilities, but the VA does not list stair lifts by name, so call the Savannah Veterans Field Service Office at (912) 920-0214 to ask about your case.
Start with the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission AAA at (912) 262-2960. They handle intake for home and community services, including Medicaid waiver screening, and can tell you whether a home-modification benefit applies.
The Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program overview does not say either way. Coverage is set in each person's care plan, so ask during intake through the Coastal Georgia AAA/ADRC.
An outdoor stair lift is made for exterior steps and weather. If the person uses a wheelchair and needs to stay in it, ask about a platform lift instead.
You can, but you need the property owner's permission first because the lift is mounted to the stairs. Bring your landlord into the conversation before scheduling an assessment.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
