Flint grew up around carriage and auto plants, and many of the houses built during that boom are still standing. In Carriage Town and the Grand Traverse Street historic districts you find well-preserved Victorian homes, and older multi-story houses line neighborhoods across Burton, Flushing, Mount Morris, Clio and the other towns of the county.
Very little new housing has gone up since. University Park, opened in 2004, was the first planned residential community in Flint in over 30 years. That means a lot of Genesee County homeowners are living in the same multi-level houses they have owned for decades, and the stairs are the part of the house that gets harder each year.
The Victorian homes in Carriage Town and the Grand Traverse Street district often have tall, narrow staircases, and some turn at a landing. A turn or a landing usually calls for a curved stair lift, which is built to follow that specific staircase.
Split-level homes are common here too. Instead of one long flight, they have several short ones, so the first thing we check is which level holds the bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen. Sometimes one lift on a single short flight solves most of the daily problem.
Ranch-style homes and many detached houses have a single straight flight to a lower level. A straight stair lift is the simplest install and mounts to the stair treads, not the wall.
Most of the northern part of Genesee County is level, which keeps outside steps short for many properties. The southern end is hilly and covered by several lakes, and homes there can have longer exterior stairs or steps down a slope.
Snowy, ice-prone winters make outdoor steps risky for months at a time. An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts and a cover, and it can be a better fit than a ramp where the yard is too steep or too tight for a long ramp run.
Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to ask about instead of a seat-style lift.
Most homes in the county are owner-occupied, so many people have a strong reason to stay where they are rather than move to a single-story place.
Adult children often start the conversation after a near fall on the stairs. A home visit lets us measure the staircase, check the landings and the power outlet, and tell you which type of lift the house actually needs.
The county's median household income was an estimated $62,281 in 2024, and the poverty rate was 16.4%. For many families that makes outside help worth looking into before paying out of pocket.
The clearest path is the MI Choice Waiver, which can fund stair lifts as a home modification for people who qualify. Valley Area Agency on Aging handles local access, so a call to (810) 239-7671 is the right first step.
Several local repair programs, including the Genesee County Home Improvement Program and Habitat for Humanity's Critical Home Repair Program, are currently closed to new applications. It is still worth calling to ask about status. Veterans should call the Genesee County Department of Veterans Services at (810) 257-3068, since the VA HISA benefit does not cover stair glides. Each program is listed below.
A Medicaid waiver for residents 65+ (or 18-64 if disabled) who meet nursing facility level of care and Medicaid financial rules; stair lifts are listed among covered home modifications. Call Valley Area Agency on Aging at (810) 239-7671 to ask about funding and any waitlist.
The local access point for MI Choice enrollment and other in-home services for adults 60+ and disabled adults; its pages do not mention stair lifts directly, but it is the right first call. Reach Valley AAA at (810) 239-7671 or 708 Root Street, Flint.
Deferred payment loans for low-to-moderate income homeowners covering repairs like roofing, furnaces and plumbing; stair lifts are not mentioned, and the standard application is currently closed. Call (810) 257-3010 to check status and ask about accessibility work.
Repairs for low-to-moderate income homeowners in Genesee County and the City of Flint, including handicap accessibility, though stair lifts are not named; applications are currently closed. Call (810) 766-9089.
A home repair and improvement fund open to Flint residents at any income level; stair lifts are not mentioned, and applications are closed until funding is available. Call (810) 766-9089.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas, with grants limited to those 62 or older; accessibility work is allowed but stair lifts are not named. Eligibility depends on the address, and Flint's urban core is likely not eligible.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary home accessibility changes, but it explicitly excludes stair glides. Ask the Genesee County Department of Veterans Services at (810) 257-3068 about other VA options.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; stair lifts are not named among covered modifications. The Genesee County Department of Veterans Services at (810) 257-3068 can help with an application.
A Center for Independent Living serving people with disabilities in Genesee County that installs home ramps; stair lifts are not mentioned. Call (810) 742-1800 to ask whether they can help or refer.
Builds residential wheelchair ramps for disabled and elderly county residents at minimal cost using UAW/GM volunteer labor; it does not mention stair lifts. Call (810) 762-5831 if a ramp fits the entrance better than a lift.
Older adults
708 Root Street, Flint, 48503
Veterans
324 S. Saginaw St. Suite 7D, Flint, 48502
It can through the MI Choice Waiver, which lists stair lifts among covered home modifications for people who meet nursing facility level of care and Medicaid financial rules. Call Valley Area Agency on Aging at (810) 239-7671 to start.
MI Choice also covers adults 18-64 who are disabled, and Valley Area Agency on Aging serves adults 60 and older. The Disability Network at (810) 742-1800 works with people with disabilities of any age in the county.
The VA HISA benefit explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so talk with the Genesee County Department of Veterans Services at (810) 257-3068. The nearest VA facility is the Flint VA Clinic at 2360 South Linden Road.
Usually, yes. Staircases with a turn or landing, common in older Carriage Town and Grand Traverse Street homes, need a curved lift built to fit that staircase, while a single straight flight takes a straight lift.
Not right now. The Genesee County Home Improvement Program, Habitat's Critical Home Repair Program and the Flint Home Improvement Fund are all closed to new applications. Call (810) 257-3010 or (810) 766-9089 to check when they reopen.
Outdoor models are built for snow and ice with weather-resistant parts and a cover. They are often used on exterior steps where a ramp would be too long, which can come up on hilly lots in the southern part of the county.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
