From Troy and Royal Oak to Milford, Holly and Lake Orion, a lot of Oakland County living happens on more than one floor. Much of the county was built during the post-WWII suburban expansion, when growth pushed north from Detroit, and those subdivisions filled up with two-story colonials and split-level homes. In both styles the bedrooms or main living space sit up an interior stairway.
That is the practical reason families here start asking about stair lifts. If a parent in Southfield or Rochester Hills is finding the stairs harder, a lift can keep the upstairs bedroom in use without moving or remodeling. This page walks through how local homes affect the choice of lift and which Oakland County and Michigan programs may help with the cost.
A two-story colonial usually has one straight run of stairs between floors. That is the simplest case for a straight stair lift, which mounts on a rail fastened to the stair treads, not the wall.
Split-level homes are different. Instead of one long flight, you often have short half-flights between levels, sometimes with a turn or landing. Depending on the layout, that can mean a curved lift built to the stair, or a straight lift on the one flight the person uses most.
We look at which rooms the person actually needs to reach each day. Sometimes the answer is one lift on one flight, and sometimes it is a bedroom move plus a lift to the main floor.
Not everyone in the county lives in a detached house. Townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are part of the mix too, and their stairs tend to be narrower or shared.
In a townhouse you own, a lift on the interior stairs works much like it does in a house. In a walk-up or low-rise building where the stairs are common space, the building owner or association has to agree before anything is installed, so that conversation comes first.
Oakland County has 387 lakes and the headwaters of the Clinton, Huron, Rouge and Shiawassee rivers, so plenty of lots sit on rolling, uneven ground. Homes on these lots can have steps up to the front door, down to a walkout, or along a slope toward the water.
For those situations an outdoor stair lift, built to handle Michigan weather, can follow exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to stay in the chair, a platform lift is the option to discuss instead of a seat-style lift.
About 17.7% of Oakland County residents are 65 or older, and the county had a 72.7% homeownership rate in 2024. Many of those owners have lived in the same built-out suburbs for decades and would rather adapt the house than leave it.
If that includes someone in your family, the VA programs below are worth checking before paying out of pocket, and Oakland County Veterans' Services in Pontiac can help sort out eligibility.
Medicare and most standard insurance are not the place to start. The programs that matter here are Michigan's MI Choice Medicaid waiver, VA housing grants for qualifying veterans, and local nonprofits that do repairs for low-income homeowners.
MI Choice is the one program on this list that names home modifications as a covered service. The VA SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities. The VA HISA benefit, by contrast, specifically excludes stair glides, so it is not the route for a stair lift.
For help figuring out where you fit, call the Region 1B AAA in Southfield at (248) 357-2255, or Oakland County Veterans' Services at (248) 858-0785. Each program is summarized below.
A Medicaid waiver for people 65 or older, or adults with a disability, who need a nursing-home level of care; home modifications are a covered service, though stair lifts are not named specifically. AgeWays administers it for Oakland County at (800) 852-7795, and the 2026 income limit is $2,982 a month for an individual.
A no-cost program for adults 60 and older in Oakland and nearby counties offering in-home support, respite and help with assistive devices; the source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications. Call (800) 852-7795.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA. The VA describes modifications in general terms and does not list stair lifts specifically.
A lifetime benefit of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for enrolled VA health-care patients with a prescribed need for a home improvement. Stair glides and porch lifts are explicitly excluded, so this does not cover a stair lift.
A volunteer nonprofit in Farmington Hills that provides free repairs to low-income Oakland County homeowners, with priority for elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners; stair lifts are not listed. Call (248) 432-6551.
A federally funded weatherization and home repair program for income-eligible residents of Oakland and Livingston counties; stair lifts and accessibility work are not mentioned. Call (248) 209-2600.
A Center for Independent Living serving Oakland County residents with disabilities through advocacy, referral and peer support; it does not list a stair lift or home modification fund. Call (586) 268-4160 for help connecting to other programs.
Older adults
29508 Southfield Rd., Suite 100, Southfield, 48076
Veterans
1200 N. Telegraph Rd, Building 26E, Pontiac, 48341
The MI Choice Medicaid waiver covers home modifications for people who need a nursing-home level of care and meet the income and asset limits. Stair lifts are not named specifically, so coverage depends on the individual service plan. Call AgeWays at (800) 852-7795 to start.
The HISA benefit excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for one. Veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities can look at the SAH and SHA grants instead. Oakland County Veterans' Services in Pontiac, (248) 858-0785, can help with the application.
Not always. We start with the rooms the person uses every day. Sometimes one lift on the most-used flight is enough, and other times a curved lift or a change in which room serves as the bedroom works better.
The AgeWays Community Living Program serves adults 60 and older in Oakland County at no cost, though its listed services do not mention stair lifts. The Region 1B AAA at (248) 357-2255 can point you to other options.
In a townhouse you own, interior stairs are usually a straightforward install. For shared stairs in a walk-up or low-rise building, you will need approval from the building owner or association first.
Rebuilding Together Oakland County, (248) 432-6551, provides free repairs to low-income homeowners, and OLHSA, (248) 209-2600, runs weatherization and home repair for income-eligible residents. Neither lists stair lifts, so ask directly about accessibility work.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
