White County sits in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge foothills about 80 miles northeast of Atlanta, across 242 square miles of slopes, forest and the headwater streams of the Chattahoochee River. From Cleveland to Sautee-Nacoochee to the Bavarian-alpine streets of Helen, a lot of houses were built into the hillside, and that shapes how people get from the car to the kitchen.
Here, the stairs that cause trouble are often not only inside. Long driveways and exterior steps from a parking area up to the front door are common on mountain lots. This page walks through what that means for choosing a stair lift and where White County families can look for help with the cost.
County geography sources describe terrain steep enough that early settlers could not farm it on a large scale. Homes built on that kind of ground tend to have raised entries, split-level layouts or more than one story, with stairs as the main route between levels.
When we look at a White County home, we start at the parking spot, not the staircase. If the hard part is the climb from the driveway to the porch, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may matter more than anything inside.
A straight stair lift fits a single run of stairs with no turns. It is usually the simplest install and works on many interior staircases in single-family homes and multi-story houses.
Split-level homes are different. The short flights between levels, and any landing where the stairs change direction, often call for a curved lift built to the shape of that staircase. Ranch-style homes and manufactured homes may have few or no inside stairs, but a raised entry can still leave a set of exterior steps that a lift or platform can handle.
For low-rise buildings, the first question is who controls the stairwell. Shared stairs usually need the building owner involved before anything gets installed.
All residents live in areas the 2020 Census defines as rural, so help from family or a neighbor may be a drive away.
Tourism around Helen, including its annual Oktoberfest, drives much of the local economy. That means many older homeowners are working with fixed, seasonal or service-industry incomes, so it pays to check every program below before spending out of pocket.
The starting point for most residents is Legacy Link, the Georgia Mountains Area Agency on Aging, at (866) 552-4464. It screens and refers people into Georgia's Medicaid waivers, and the financial side of that screening is done by DFCS.
Of the programs listed below, the Independent Care Waiver Program names home modifications among its covered services. The other Medicaid waivers do not mention stair lifts or home modifications in their official descriptions, though they may still help with care at home.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The VA SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations, but their source pages do not list stair lifts, so ask before planning around them. The Demorest Veterans Field Service Office at (706) 894-1049 can help with VA questions.
The designated aging agency for White County and the single point of entry for CCSP, SOURCE and ICWP screening; it refers people to services rather than paying for them, and its source does not mention stair lifts. Call (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver for members ages 21-64 with a severe physical impairment or traumatic brain injury who meet nursing-home or hospital level of care, and it lists home modifications among covered services, approved individually and subject to funding. White County residents reach it through Legacy Link at (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver offering case management, adult daycare, personal care, home-delivered meals and respite for frail elderly and disabled Georgians who need nursing-home level of care; stair lifts and home modifications are not mentioned in its source. Call Legacy Link at (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver pairing case management with long-term home services for frail elderly and physically disabled Georgians on full Medicaid; its source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (866) 552-4464.
Statewide waivers for Georgians with intellectual or developmental disabilities, run through DBHDD, covering services such as residential support, specialized medical equipment and vehicle adaptation. Stair lifts and home modifications are not mentioned in the source.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary structural changes like widened doorways or roll-in showers. It does not cover stair lifts, since the VA excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum), usable up to 6 times, for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own their home. Ramps and wider doorways are given as examples, but stair lifts are not listed.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum), usable up to 6 times, for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities such as loss of both hands, severe burns or respiratory injuries. Stair lifts are not named among covered adaptations.
Older adults
4080 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood, 30566
Veterans
185 Scoggins Dr., Demorest, 30535
Often, yes. Many White County homes have exterior stairs between the parking area and the entry because of the sloped lots, and an outdoor stair lift or platform lift is built for that kind of run. We measure the steps and the grade during the home visit.
Usually not if the stairs change direction. A curved lift is made to follow the turn, while a straight lift only fits a single straight run.
The Independent Care Waiver Program serves Medicaid members ages 21-64 with a severe physical impairment or traumatic brain injury, and it lists home modifications among its services. Legacy Link at (866) 552-4464 handles screening for White County.
Not through the HISA grant, which excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants cover home adaptations but do not list stair lifts, so ask the Demorest Veterans Field Service Office at (706) 894-1049 before counting on them.
Start with Legacy Link at (866) 552-4464. You can also reach the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission AAA at 4080 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood, (770) 538-2650.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
