Richmond County is one borough and one name on the map: Staten Island. Its 495,747 residents live in the most suburban part of New York City, where detached single-family homes far outnumber multi-story apartment buildings. That means a lot of people here climb their own stairs every day, from the Victorian-era houses of the North Shore to the split-levels and townhouses farther south.
The island also has real hills. Todt Hill reaches 401 feet, the highest natural elevation on the Eastern Seaboard south of Maine, and many homes sit on slopes or have raised entries. This page walks through how those homes and that terrain affect the choice of a stair lift, and where Staten Island families can look for help paying for one.
On the North Shore, large Victorian-era houses in historic districts often have long or turning staircases. When a staircase turns or has a landing partway up, a straight rail will not follow it, so a curved stair lift built to that exact staircase is usually the answer.
In the southern and central parts of the borough, much of the housing went up from the 1960s and 1970s onward, after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connected the island to the rest of New York City. Many of these are single-family homes and split-level homes. A split-level can have several short flights instead of one long one, and each flight may need its own straight lift, or one curved rail that links them.
Townhouses and walk-up apartments bring their own questions, mainly stair width and who owns the stairway. In a walk-up with shared stairs, the building owner has to agree before anything is installed.
Interior stairs are only half the problem in many Staten Island homes. Raised entries are a common barrier, and on a sloped lot the walk from the sidewalk to the front door can include several outside steps.
For those, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure, or a vertical platform lift at the entry, can work where a ramp would be too long for the lot. A platform lift also suits someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Waterfront and low-lying areas make up a significant share of the borough, and Hurricane Sandy showed how hard it is for seniors to leave a flooded home when stairs or steps are a struggle. If your home is in a low-lying area, ask about where motors and batteries will sit and how the lift behaves during a power outage.
Staten Island has the highest owner-occupancy rate of any NYC borough, at 69.5%, with a median home value around $460,200. Owners can generally install a stair lift without asking anyone's permission, which is not true for most renters elsewhere in the city.
A 2009 American Community Survey figure put residents age 65 and older at about 12.5% of the borough. As of the 2000 census, about 9.9% of that senior population was below the poverty line, which is why the income-based programs below matter for many families here.
None of the programs listed on this page name stair lifts specifically in their published materials, so every one of them needs a phone call to confirm. That said, several fund accessibility work or connect people to it.
The NYS Access to Home Program pays for accessibility modifications, but homeowners apply through a Local Program Administrator, not directly. Veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities may qualify for the VA SAH, SHA or TRA grants. For older adults, NYC Aging serves all five boroughs from one office and can point you toward in-home services, including EISEP.
Other statewide options worth asking about include New York Medicaid Home Modifications (NHTD Waiver & MLTC), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics) and the New York RESTORE Program. Details for each program we found are listed below.
A state housing grant from NYS Homes and Community Renewal for accessibility work on a primary residence, for households at or below 80% of area median income (up to 120% for certain veteran households) with a member who has a documented disability. Its page lists ramps, lifts, handrails, doorway widening and roll-in showers but does not name stair lifts, and you apply through a Local Program Administrator rather than directly.
VA grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or adapt a home, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026, with TRA up to $50,961 or $9,100. Stair lifts are not named in the source, so call the VA at (800) 827-1000 to ask.
An advocacy, information and referral center for Richmond County residents with disabilities of any age; it is not a grant fund and its page does not mention stair lifts. Call (718) 720-9016 to ask what home-accessibility referrals they offer.
The citywide Area Agency on Aging that covers all 5 boroughs, offering case management, in-home services and referrals for older adults and caregivers on Staten Island. Stair lift coverage is not listed; the NYC Department for the Aging can be reached at (212) 244-6469.
A state in-home services program for older adults with functional limitations who are not Medicaid-eligible, assessed locally through NYC Aging for Richmond County. The source does not say whether home modifications or stair lifts are included.
Older adults
2 Lafayette St. 7th Floor, New York, 10007
Veterans
Boro Hall Building, 10 Richmond Terrace, Room G‑15, Staten Island, 10301
Usually, yes. Older houses with turning staircases or mid-flight landings typically need a curved stair lift with a rail built to that staircase. Historic district homes may also raise questions about the house itself, so mention it when you call.
Possibly. Split-level homes have several short flights, and each can take its own straight lift, or a single curved rail can connect them. Which is better depends on how often the person moves between levels and how the flights are laid out.
Raised entries are common on Staten Island. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle those steps, and a platform lift works for someone who stays in a wheelchair.
No. Homeowners cannot apply directly. Funds go to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations acting as Local Program Administrators, who then help eligible households, and you would need to confirm with them whether a stair lift qualifies.
The NYC Department of Veterans' Services – Staten Island is at the Boro Hall Building, 10 Richmond Terrace, Room G‑15, phone (212) 416-5250. For VA home adaptation grants, call (800) 827-1000. Health care is offered at the Staten Island Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 1150 South Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 301.
No. New York City has one aging office for all 5 boroughs, the NYC Department for the Aging, at 2 Lafayette St. 7th Floor. Its phone number is (212) 244-6469.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
