Tyrrell County is mostly water and wetland. The Albemarle Sound, the Alligator River and Lake Phelps shape a county where 34.56% of its 597 square miles is water, and Columbia is the one town. The land is flat and low, part of the Inner Banks, with documented flooding concerns.
Many homes here are single-family, detached and ranch-style houses, along with some low-rise buildings. The county's population peaked in 1940, so much of the housing is older. Older homes like these can still hold a staircase, a raised entry or a few porch steps that get harder to manage every year. This page walks through which kind of lift fits which home, and where a family can look for help paying for it.
Tyrrell County has no hillside construction to speak of. That means the stairs we look at are usually inside the house or at the front and back doors, not long runs down a slope.
If a home has a few steps up to the entry, an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift may be the practical answer. Outdoor units are built to handle weather, which matters in a county this close to the Albemarle Sound and the Alligator River. With the area's flooding concerns, we talk through where the lift's motor and controls sit before anything is installed.
A ranch-style home often has everything on one floor, so the question there is usually the entry steps or a step down into a basement or den. A two-story detached house is different. If the stairs run in one straight line, a straight stair lift is the simpler and less costly choice.
Older houses sometimes have stairs with a landing, a turn or narrow treads. Those need a curved stair lift, which is built to the exact shape of the staircase. We measure first and tell you plainly which type your stairs need.
In a low-rise building, ask the owner or manager before planning any lift on shared stairs. Inside your own unit, the same straight or curved options apply.
About 24.8% of residents are 65 or older, so a lot of families here are working out how a parent can keep using the whole house. Many of the calls we get come from adult children who live elsewhere and want to know what is possible before the next visit home.
If the person on the stairs served, the VA programs listed below are worth checking first, along with the local veterans service office in Columbia.
Household budgets are tight for many families in the county, where the economy rests on farming, forestry and fishing. Out-of-pocket cost is a real concern, so it helps to know which programs might help and which will not.
None of the programs below names stair lifts outright. Several fund accessibility work or home modifications in general, so the step that matters is calling and asking whether a stair lift qualifies in your case. One VA grant, HISA, specifically excludes stair glides, so veterans should look at the other VA grants instead.
For lower-income homeowners, the USDA Section 504 program and the NC Housing Finance Agency Urgent Repair Program, delivered locally by Albemarle Commission, are good places to start. The Albemarle Commission Area Agency on Aging can also tell you what is available for Tyrrell County residents age 60 and up.
A Medicaid program for NC adults 18 and older with a disability who meet an institutional level of care and qualify financially; its covered services include 'equipment, modification and technology,' but stair lifts are not named, so confirm with a CAP/DA case manager. Call (919) 568-1717.
Repair loans up to $40,000 and grants up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum (up to $50,000 combined) for very low income homeowners in eligible rural areas like Tyrrell County, with grants limited to those 62 or older. It funds accessibility items such as a wheelchair ramp or walk-in tub, but the source does not name stair lifts.
A lifetime benefit of $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for veterans who need modifications such as ramps or accessible bathrooms. HISA does not cover stair lifts; the VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Up to $126,526 (FY2026 cap) for veterans who own or will own the home and have a qualifying severe service-connected disability, usable up to 6 times. It funds major adaptations such as ramps or wider doorways, but stair lifts are not specifically named.
Up to $25,350 (FY2026 cap) for permanent home modifications tied to a qualifying service-connected disability, such as loss of use of both hands. The source does not specifically name stair lifts.
An interest-free deferred loan, forgiven at $5,000 per year, for elderly or special-needs homeowners below 50% of area median income facing a life-safety hazard; it covers accessibility modifications but does not name stair lifts. Albemarle Commission delivers it in Tyrrell County; NCHFA can be reached at (919) 877-5700.
Serves adults 60 and older and their family caregivers in a 10-county area that includes Tyrrell County, with supportive services, caregiver support and home and community based services. It does not list stair lift or home modification funding, so call (252) 426-5753 to ask.
A claims-assistance office, not a funding source, that helps veterans and dependents apply for VA benefits including HISA, SAH and SHA grants. It meets at the Tyrrell County Annex, 106 Water Street, Columbia, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM; call (252) 355-9052.
Older adults
1502 N. Market St., Suite A, Washington, 27889
Veterans
106 Water Street, Columbia, 27925
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund home adaptations for severe service-connected disabilities but do not name stair lifts, so ask the Tyrrell County Veterans Service Office at (252) 355-9052 to help you check.
The Tyrrell County Veterans Service Office meets at the Tyrrell County Annex, 106 Water Street, Columbia, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The phone is (252) 355-9052.
The USDA Section 504 program offers grants up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum to homeowners 62 or older, plus loans up to $40,000. Tyrrell County is rural and USDA-eligible, but stair lifts are not named, so confirm before you apply.
The NC Medicaid CAP/DA Waiver covers 'equipment, modification and technology' for eligible adults 18 and older, but it does not name stair lifts. A CAP/DA case manager can tell you whether one qualifies; call (919) 568-1717.
Many ranch-style homes are one level inside, so the problem is often the entry steps. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle those, and we will look at the steps and the flood exposure at your home before recommending one.
The Albemarle Commission Area Agency on Aging serves Tyrrell County residents 60 and older and their family caregivers. Call (252) 426-5753 and ask what home and community based services are available.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
