Bellefonte's historic district holds 296 contributing buildings, and many of them are tall, narrow houses with the bedrooms upstairs and the kitchen and living room below. Out past State College, homes in Boalsburg, Pleasant Gap, Centre Hall, Philipsburg and Snow Shoe sit on the slopes of long ridges, so the stairs often start at the driveway, not the front door.
This page walks through what Centre County homes mean for a stair lift, which lift types tend to fit, and the programs that can help with the cost. The county has 56 towns, and the housing in each one changes the answer.
Bellefonte, the county seat, has a National Register historic district covering its central business district and the surrounding residential streets. The houses there come in Second Empire, Italianate and Georgian styles, and the oldest, the Col. James Dunlop House, dates to 1795.
Older multi-floor houses like these usually have steep, narrow stairs, and some turn at a landing or wind near the top. A straight stair lift works when the flight runs in one line from bottom to top. If the stair bends, a curved rail is built to match it, which takes careful measuring on site.
A stair lift lets an older homeowner keep using the upstairs bedroom instead of moving a bed into the dining room. In a house with three floors, a separate lift for each flight is common.
Centre County covers about 1,113 square miles of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley region. Nittany Valley, Bald Eagle Valley and Penns Valley run between ridges, with Mount Nittany and Tussey Mountain overhead, and a lot of homes are built on hillsides.
On a sloped lot, the trouble often starts outside: steps from the parking area up to a porch, or down to a walkout basement entry. An outdoor stair lift is built with weather-resistant parts for those exterior steps. Where a wheelchair user needs to get up a few steps without leaving the chair, a platform lift is the better fit.
Across the county you will also find single-family homes, townhouses, walk-up apartments, low-rise buildings and split-level homes. Split-levels have short flights of a handful of steps between each level, so one person may need help at more than one spot.
Townhouses tend to have a single straight flight along a wall, which is often the simplest install. In a walk-up apartment or low-rise building, the stairway may be shared, so talk with the building owner before planning a lift.
About 16.0% of Centre County residents are 65 or older, and 62.0% of households own their home. Penn State shapes the State College core, where students make up much of the population, but older residents are concentrated in Bellefonte and the outlying valley towns.
Retired Penn State faculty and staff and long-time valley homeowners are the people we most often meet at the bottom of the stairs.
Medicaid's Community HealthChoices waiver is the program in this list that names stair glides as covered. It is for people 21 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care and meet the financial limits, and approval is case by case.
For residents 60 and older, the Centre County Office of Aging at 420 Holmes St. in Bellefonte is the starting point. It runs assessments and connects people to the OPTIONS Program and the CHC waiver. Call (814) 355-6716.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant does not cover stair lifts. Centre County Veterans’ Affairs, at 502 East Howard, Suite 140 in Bellefonte, can help sort out other VA benefits at (814) 355-6812. The programs are listed one by one below.
This Medicaid waiver covers stair glides as removable home accessibility equipment, along with permanent adaptations like ramps, approved case by case for adults 21+ who need a nursing-facility level of care and meet the 2026 limits (income up to $2,982/month, assets $2,000 single or $4,000 married). Call (800) 757-5042.
A state lottery-funded in-home services program for residents 60 or older, with a sliding-scale cost share based on income; it lists home modifications as a supplemental service, but the source does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (814) 355-6716.
The county office for residents 60 and older does assessments, care management and referrals and is the gateway to OPTIONS and the CHC waiver; it does not give grants directly, and the source does not mention stair lifts. Call (814) 355-6716.
A nonprofit serving people of any age with any disability in Centre County, offering advocacy and service coordination, including help reaching Medicaid waiver home modifications; whether it helps fund stair lifts is unknown. Call (570) 327-9070.
A VA grant with a lifetime benefit of $6,800 or $2,000 for ramps, bathroom changes and entrance alterations, but it does not cover stair lifts or stair glides. Call (877) 222-8387.
Grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY 2026; the source does not mention stair lifts. Apply with VA Form 26-4555 or call (877) 827-3702.
Older adults
420 Holmes St., Bellefonte, 16823
Veterans
502 East Howard, Suite 140, Bellefonte, 16823
Often, yes. Straight flights take a straight rail, and stairs that turn at a landing or wind near the top take a curved rail made to fit that staircase, which is why we measure in the home first.
Many homes in the Nittany, Bald Eagle and Penns valleys have exterior steps. An outdoor stair lift handles those steps, and a platform lift is the choice when someone needs to stay in a wheelchair.
The Community HealthChoices waiver covers stair glides when they are medically necessary and approved in the person's service plan. It is for adults 21 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care and meet the financial limits. Call (800) 757-5042.
The Centre County Office of Aging serves residents 60 and older and runs the OPTIONS Program, where income sets a cost share but does not bar eligibility. OPTIONS lists home modifications, though stair lifts are not named. Call (814) 355-6716.
The HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either, so contact Centre County Veterans’ Affairs at (814) 355-6812 to review your situation.
Roads to Freedom Center for Independent Living serves people of all ages with any disability in Centre County and can help with access to Medicaid waiver home modifications. Call (570) 327-9070.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
