Roxboro is the only town and the county seat in Person County, and some of its houses go back a long way. The Webb House dates to the early 1800s, and the Hall House, built around 1900, is described as the oldest brick house in Roxboro. Out past town, older farmhouses sit on rolling Piedmont land between Hyco Lake, Mayo Reservoir and Lake Roxboro.
Older multi-story homes like these usually have an interior staircase that the family still has to use every day. That makes a stair lift a practical question here, not a far-off one. This page walks through how local homes and terrain affect the choice of lift and which programs may help with the cost.
Much of the county's older housing was built with bedrooms upstairs, which is typical of its 19th-century development. In these homes the stairs are often narrow or steep, and some turn at a landing. A straight staircase can usually take a standard straight-rail lift, while a staircase with a turn or landing needs a curved rail built to fit.
Brick houses like the Hall House and older wood-frame homes each need a careful look at where the rail can be fastened. Most stair lifts mount to the stair treads rather than the wall, which helps in older homes with plaster walls. We measure each staircase before recommending anything.
Not every home in Person County is old or tall. Single-family homes, duplexes, split-level homes, ranch-style homes and low-rise buildings all show up here. A split-level home often has several short flights, and each flight can be handled with its own short straight lift or one curved rail.
Ranch-style homes may have few interior steps, but entry steps can still be a problem. In a duplex or low-rise building with shared stairs, the owner or landlord usually has to approve any installation, so it helps to ask early.
Person County covers about 392 square miles of land, mostly rolling hills, farmland and forest. Homes on sloped lots often have a long run of porch or entry steps. An outdoor stair lift, built to handle weather, can carry a person up those steps, and a vertical platform lift is an option where a wheelchair is involved.
About 75.7% of residents live in rural areas. That can limit how far home-modification contractors and aging-services outreach reach beyond Roxboro, so plan ahead and ask any installer whether they serve your part of the county.
The 2020 Census put the county's population at about 39,097, with 20.7% of residents age 65 or older and a median age of 45.2. Many families here are helping a parent stay in a home with stairs.
Veterans in the county can get local help from Veterans Services at 325 S. Morgan St. in Roxboro, phone (336) 597-7891, before applying for any VA grant.
Census figures from 2010 put median household income at $42,559 with a 12.0% poverty rate, so many households look for outside help. No program listed below names stair lifts outright, and the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. Others cover broader categories such as home accessibility, mobility improvements or health and safety repairs.
A good first call is the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging at (252) 436-2040, located at 1724 Graham Ave. in Henderson. They can tell you which local providers are currently funded for home modification in Person County. North Carolina also lists an Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1), which is worth asking about separately.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who meet nursing facility level of care and want to stay at home; it covers home accessibility and adaptation and specialized medical equipment, but stair lifts are not named and slots are limited. Call (888) 245-0179.
The designated Area Agency on Aging for Person County, offering referral and service coordination rather than cash grants; no stair lift program is listed, but it is the place to find out who funds home modifications locally. Call (252) 436-2040.
For people 60 or older with no one able to do the work, providing up to $7,000 per person per program year where locally funded, including possible mobility and accessibility improvements; stair lifts are not named and Person County availability was not confirmed. Reach it through the Kerr-Tar referral network or call (800) 662-7030.
Repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas, with grants limited to owners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The program targets health and safety hazards and does not name stair lifts or accessibility changes.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary permanent changes like entrance ramps and roll-in showers; it does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides are listed as excluded removable equipment. Call (919) 286-0411.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) in FY2026 for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or remodel an accessible home; stair lifts are not specifically named. Call (919) 286-0411.
Older adults
1724 Graham Ave., Henderson, 27536
Veterans
325 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, 27573
Usually, yes. Older multi-story homes in and around Roxboro often have interior staircases that suit a straight or curved rail, depending on whether the stairs turn. A home visit to measure is the way to know for sure.
The HISA grant does not, because it lists stair glides as excluded removable equipment. The SAH and SHA grants cover accessibility remodeling for qualifying veterans but do not name stair lifts, so ask Veterans Services in Roxboro at (336) 597-7891 or the VA at (919) 286-0411.
NC Housing and Home Improvement Assistance serves people 60 and older with up to $7,000 per program year where it is locally funded, and mobility and accessibility improvements are one possible category. Call the Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging at (252) 436-2040 to see if it is available in Person County.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for exposed entry and porch steps, which are common on sloped rural lots in the county. Since about 75.7% of residents live in rural areas, confirm early that your installer serves your location.
CAP/DA covers home accessibility and adaptation and specialized medical equipment for eligible adults, but stair lifts are not named and the program has capacity limits. Call (888) 245-0179 to ask about current rules.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
