Gaston County grew up around the textile mills. In Gastonia and in the old mill villages of Belmont, Cramerton, Lowell, McAdenville and Mount Holly, a lot of houses date from the early to mid 20th century. They were built long before anyone thought about accessible design, so their stairways are often narrow and steep.
Across the rest of the county's 14 towns, from Cherryville and Dallas to Stanley and High Shoals, you find ranch-style homes, split-levels, townhouses and walk-up apartments on rolling Piedmont ground. Each of those layouts points to a different kind of stair lift. This page walks through which one fits your house and where county residents can look for help with the cost.
Mill-era homes in places like McAdenville and Cramerton tend to have tight staircases, sometimes with a turn near the top. A straight stair lift rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster walls and old trim are left alone.
If the stair turns or has a landing partway up, a curved rail is usually the answer. It is built to the exact shape of your staircase, which is why we measure in person before quoting anything.
Split-level homes have short flights between half levels. Often one straight lift covers the flight a person uses most, such as the run up to the bedrooms. Reaching every level may take a second lift or a curved rail.
Ranch-style homes keep daily living on one floor, but many have stairs down to a basement or laundry area. Townhouses usually have a full straight flight between floors, which is the simplest and quickest installation we do.
Gaston County sits in the rolling hills of the Piedmont, with Crowders Mountain State Park and King's Pinnacle at 1,690 feet as its high point. On sloped lots, the hard stairs are sometimes outside: porch steps or a walk down from the driveway.
Outdoor stair lifts are built to handle weather. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up the steps without leaving the chair, a platform lift is the better fit, and we can look at both during a visit.
Many of those households live in the older housing described above.
Adult children often call us first, after a parent has started avoiding the upstairs. A home visit lets us check the stair width, the turns and the power outlet location so you know what will work before deciding.
No single program here names stair lifts outright, but several fund home modifications or accessibility work. The Gaston County Family Caregiver Support Program lists home modifications and adaptive equipment as supplemental services, which makes it a good first call.
Seniors 60 and older can also ask the Region F - Centralina Regional Council AAA at (704) 348-2712 about local Housing and Home Improvement Assistance. Veterans should talk with the Gaston County Veterans Services Office at (704) 866-3606. The full list of programs is below.
A statewide Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and up who need nursing-home level care but can live safely at home; its approved services include an 'Equipment, modification and technology' category, though stair lifts are not named. Call the NC Medicaid Contact Center at (888) 245-0179.
Provides up to $7,000 per individual per program year for people 60 or older, including a mobility and accessibility improvements category; stair lifts are not listed by name and local funding categories should be confirmed. Call (800) 662-7030.
Supports family and volunteer caregivers with respite and supplemental services, including home modifications and adaptive equipment. Call the county Intake Social Workers at (704) 862-7540 to check eligibility.
County repair grants aimed at elderly, disabled, veteran and single-parent households; the program page does not mention stair lifts or accessibility work, so ask about scope. Call (704) 866-3000.
Grants up to $25,000, secured by a 10-year lien, for low- to moderate-income homeowners inside Gastonia city limits; accessibility modifications are a covered category, though stair lifts are not named. Call (704) 866-6753.
No-cost modifications such as ramps, railings and grab bars for low-income seniors, veterans and people with disabilities in Gaston and nearby counties; stair lifts are not listed among its examples. Call (980) 236-0979.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas, with grants for those 62 and older; accessibility work can qualify but stair lifts are not mentioned. Much of Gaston County is urban, so check property eligibility first.
A lifetime grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically needed home changes for veterans. The VA explicitly excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts.
Up to $126,526 for FY2026 to build or modify a home for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named among its examples.
Up to $25,350 for FY2026 to adapt a permanent home for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not specifically named.
Older adults
9815 David Taylor Drive, Suite 100, Charlotte, 28262
Veterans
965 Roberts Drive, Gastonia, 28054
Yes. The Housing and Home Improvement Assistance program serves people 60 and older, with up to $7,000 per program year, and includes mobility and accessibility improvements. Call the Region F - Centralina Regional Council AAA at (704) 348-2712 or (800) 662-7030 to ask what Gaston County currently funds.
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either way, so a veteran with a qualifying disability should ask the Gaston County Veterans Services Office at (704) 866-3606.
No. The City of Gastonia Housing Rehabilitation Program only applies inside Gastonia city limits. Outside the city, look at the Gaston County Housing Rehab Grants at (704) 866-3000 and the Family Caregiver Support Program at (704) 862-7540.
It often can, since the rail attaches to the stairs. For the Housing and Home Improvement Assistance program, renters need written permission from the landlord, so get that first.
Possibly, but only for homes in USDA-eligible rural areas. About 81.1 percent of county residents live in urban areas, so check your address on USDA's property eligibility map before applying.
Usually, if you want one rail to run the whole way. In some homes two straight lifts, one per flight, can work instead. We measure the staircase in person to see which fits.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
