Pickens County sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwest Georgia, and the land decides how houses get built here. On sloped lots around Jasper, Bent Tree and Big Canoe, many homes use multi-level or elevated layouts so they can sit into the hillside. That means stairs between the garage, the main floor and the bedrooms, and often more steps outside to reach the front door.
Those floor plans can work well for decades, then become the hardest part of staying home. This page walks through how local home styles line up with straight, curved, outdoor and platform lifts, and where Pickens County families can look for help paying for one.
The county covers about 232 square miles, and its highest point, Mount Oglethorpe, reaches 3,288 feet. Building on that kind of ground usually means stacking living space vertically instead of spreading it out on one level.
Growth along the Georgia State Route 515 corridor has added new homes to this hilly landscape. New construction on a slope often still comes with a long interior staircase or an entry that sits well above the driveway.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings is the simplest fit, and that is common in many single-family homes and townhouses. If the stairs turn, wrap around a landing or split into short runs, a curved lift built to that staircase is the usual answer.
Split-level homes deserve a closer look. They often have two or three short flights, and sometimes one lift per flight makes more sense than one long rail. We measure every run before suggesting either approach.
Elevated homes with steps from the driveway or deck may need an outdoor lift rated for weather. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up several feet, a platform lift can carry the chair itself rather than requiring a transfer to a seat.
Bent Tree and Big Canoe are large gated, master-planned mountain communities that run much like small towns, with their own HOA fees and amenities. Before any outdoor lift goes in, it is smart to check with the HOA about exterior changes.
In walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings, the stairs are often shared space. A lift there needs the building owner's permission, so talk to the landlord or manager first. Inside a townhouse you own, the decision is usually yours.
No program listed below names stair lifts as a covered item, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Several programs do fund home modifications or specialized medical equipment, so it is still worth asking each one directly whether a lift could be included in your plan.
For adults 60 and older, the Northwest Georgia Area Agency on Aging is the front door for aging services and Community Care Services Program applications in Pickens County. Its regional office at 1 Jackson Hill Dr. in Rome can be reached at (706) 295-6485 or (800) 759-2963.
Veterans can start close to home at the Georgia Department of Veterans Service - Jasper Veterans Field Service Office, 934 East Church Street, Jasper. The number is (706) 301-5720.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for eligible adults ages 21-64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury who would otherwise need hospital or nursing-facility care. It lists home modifications and specialized medical equipment as services, but stair lifts are not named; call (800) 982-0411.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for frail elderly and disabled Georgians who meet nursing-facility level of care, offering case management, adult day care, personal care, home-delivered meals and respite care. Stair lifts and home modifications are not listed for this program; call (877) 423-4746.
Serves adults 60 and older and their caregivers across a 15-county region that includes Pickens County, with information and referral, assistive technology and caregiver resources. Stair lifts are not listed as a covered item; call (800) 759-2963 or 706-295-6485.
A state grant for Georgia homeowners with a disability who live in the home, covering work such as bathroom retrofits, wheelchair ramps and widened doorways. Stair lifts are not named among the covered modifications; call (770) 270-6860.
A Home Modifications program for people with disabilities in the 15-county northwest Georgia service area, based at 527 Broad Street, Suite 101, Rome. The program does not say which modifications it funds, so ask about stair lifts at (706) 314-0008.
A lifetime grant of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on eligibility, for veterans enrolled in VA health care who need structural changes to their primary home. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides are listed as excluded; call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $126,526 for FY2026 for veterans or service members with certain qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. Stair lifts are not named among its examples; call (800) 827-1000.
Up to $25,350 for FY2026 for veterans or service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities, such as loss of use of both hands. Stair lifts are not named; a related Temporary Residence Adaptation grant can help adapt a family member's home. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
1 Jackson Hill Dr., Rome, 30161
Veterans
934 East Church Street, Jasper, 30143
Usually, yes. Split-level homes often have more than one short flight, so the answer may be a lift on each flight or a curved rail that follows the turns. It depends on the measurements of your stairs.
Many elevated homes in Pickens County have steps from the driveway or deck. An outdoor lift built for weather can serve those steps. If you live in Bent Tree or Big Canoe, check with your HOA before exterior work.
The HISA grant does not; it lists stair glides as excluded. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000 or the Jasper Veterans Field Service Office at (706) 301-5720 about your situation.
The Independent Care Waiver Program serves eligible Georgia Medicaid adults ages 21-64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury, and it covers home modifications in general. Call (800) 982-0411 to ask whether a lift fits your plan.
The Northwest Georgia Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older in Pickens County and handles Community Care Services Program applications. Call (800) 759-2963 or (706) 295-6485.
Shared stairwells belong to the building owner, so you need the landlord's approval first. Once you have it, we can measure the stairs and tell you what type of lift fits.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
