Douglasville, Lithia Springs and Fairplay sit on rolling Piedmont ground, from about 740 feet at the Chattahoochee River up to 1,340 feet at Andy Mountain. Much of the housing here went up during Atlanta's suburban expansion, and a lot of it was built as two-story or split-level houses with a main entry stair.
Those homes worked well for the families who bought them. For owners from that build-out wave who now want to stay put, the same stairs, plus the entry steps that come with hilly lots, can become the hardest part of the day. This page walks through what that means for a stair lift and where Douglas County residents can look for help paying for one.
The county's housing includes single-family homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments, split-level homes and ranch-style homes. Each one puts the stairs in a different place, so the right lift depends on the layout more than the address.
A two-story house with one straight run from the foyer to the bedrooms is usually the simplest job. A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, and the rail follows the stair from bottom to top.
Split-level homes are different. You often have two or three short flights with a landing or a turn between levels, and that can call for a curved rail or more than one straight lift. We measure every flight before recommending either.
Douglas County is ridges, hills and valleys, not flat ground. Homes on those lots are commonly built with entry steps or raised foundations, so the first barrier is often outside the front or back door.
An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather on exterior steps. Where the climb is short but a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. Looking at both the inside and outside stairs at the same visit helps avoid solving one problem and leaving the other.
Ranch-style homes can seem stair-free, but many still have steps at the garage, porch or a lower level. Those short runs are worth checking too.
Several VA grants pay for home changes, but they do not all work the same way, and one of them specifically excludes stair glides.
The Georgia Department of Veterans Service has a Carrollton Field Service Office at 180 Martin Drive, Carrollton 30117, phone (678) 423-4970. It is a reasonable first call to sort out which VA grant fits before anyone applies.
None of the programs below lists stair lifts by name in the sources we reviewed, and the VA HISA grant rules them out. That does not mean help is unavailable. It means you should call, describe the stairs, and ask directly whether a lift can be covered.
Empowerline, run by the Atlanta Regional Commission, is a good starting point because it screens callers and refers them to whichever program actually funds a stair lift for their household. The county's own Senior Services department and the SOURCE waiver are also worth asking about.
Statewide, Georgia also has the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), the Home Access Program, the Credit-Able Loan Program and the Community Care Services Program (CCSP). Ask Empowerline whether any of these apply to you.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for frail elderly and physically disabled residents who qualify for full Medicaid and nursing home level of care; its fact sheet does not list stair lifts or home modifications, so ask your care coordinator whether a home modification benefit fits your plan. Call (866) 552-4464.
The regional Area Agency on Aging offers material aid, short-term financial help and resource navigation through its Empowerline intake service; stair lifts are not listed by name, but Empowerline can refer you to a program that does fund one. Call (404) 463-3100.
A county-run home repair program for older Douglas County residents; its public pages do not list covered modifications or dollar limits. Call (770) 489-3100 and ask whether stair lift installation is within scope.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The VA describes changes like ramps and widened doorways; stair lifts are not named on the page reviewed.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities at a lower severity tier than SAH, who own or will own the home. Stair lifts are not named on the page reviewed.
A lifetime VA grant of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary structural changes, applied for through the local VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
A Center for Independent Living offering information, referral and home modification services through community partners; specific modifications are not itemized and Douglas County coverage is not stated. Call (404) 687-8890 to confirm they serve your address.
Older adults
229 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 100, Atlanta, 30303
Veterans
180 Martin Drive, Carrollton, 30117
Often, yes. Split-level homes usually have short flights between levels, so the answer may be one curved rail or separate straight lifts on each flight. It depends on measurements taken at the house.
Yes. Many Douglas County homes sit on hilly lots with entry steps or raised foundations. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle exterior steps, and we look at those along with the indoor stairs.
No. The VA HISA page excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans should ask about the SAH or SHA grants instead, or call the Carrollton Field Service Office at (678) 423-4970.
Douglas County Senior Services runs a Home Maintenance Repair Program (HMRP). Its pages do not say whether stair lifts are covered, so call (770) 489-3100 and ask.
Start with the Atlanta Regional Commission at (404) 463-3100 and ask for Empowerline. It screens callers and refers them to the program that can actually fund a stair lift for their household.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
