Much of Erie was built up and up. Pre-war two- and three-story homes fill the city core around Perry Square, the Victorian mansions of Millionaires Row line West 6th Street, and Little Italy holds the west side. The Dickson Tavern, the city's oldest building, has stood three stories tall since 1815.
Outside the city, Erie County's 35 towns run from Millcreek, Harborcreek and Fairview along the lake to Corry, Edinboro, Waterford and Union City inland. We install stair lifts in single-family homes, row houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes across the county. This page covers which lift fits which house and where to look for help paying.
North of 38th Street, most of Erie's housing is pre-war, with two and three floors and steep interior stairs. Housing south of 38th Street shifts to curvilinear suburban development built after 1970.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings is usually the simplest install, using a rail cut to length. When a staircase turns, has a landing partway up, or winds, it needs a curved rail built to that exact stair, which takes more measuring and lead time.
Row houses and walk-up apartments often have narrow stairways. We measure width and the space at the top and bottom before recommending a model, since a folding seat and footrest matter more when the hall is tight.
Erie sits about 728 ft above sea level, while Lake Erie's surface is about 571 ft. That leaves the city rising roughly 157 ft on a terraced grade from the harbor behind the Presque Isle peninsula up toward the inland plateau.
That grade means sloped lots and front doors reached by a run of exterior steps. Inside a sloped house, split-level layouts add short flights between floors. An outdoor-rated stair lift can handle the porch or entry steps, and a platform lift is worth considering when someone uses a wheelchair and can't transfer to a seat.
About 19.3% of Erie County's 268,944 residents are 65 or older, and 69.4% of households own their homes. For many of these owners, the house is paid for and familiar, and the stairs are the main thing in the way of staying.
If that includes your parent, the veterans programs below and the Erie County Department of Veteran Services at (814) 451-6265 are worth a call before you buy.
Two programs here name stair lifts directly. The GECAC Area Agency on Aging Caregiver Support Program lists stairlifts among covered items, up to a $5,000 lifetime benefit. Pennsylvania Community HealthChoices covers stair glides for Medicaid enrollees who need a nursing-facility level of care, decided case by case.
The OPTIONS Program and the VA SAH and SHA grants fund home modifications but do not name stair lifts, so ask before you count on them. Statewide, the PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is another name to know. GECAC is at 18 W. 9th St. in Erie, and one call to (814) 459-4581 reaches both its caregiver and OPTIONS programs.
Helps Erie County caregivers of an adult 60 or older, or of a person of any age with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, with up to a $5,000 lifetime benefit; stairlifts are explicitly listed as covered. Call (814) 459-4581.
A Medicaid waiver for Pennsylvanians 21 or older who need a nursing-facility level of care, covering stair glides and home adaptations case by case through the person's plan of care. Call (877) 550-4227, and ask your CHC service coordinator to add the equipment to your service plan.
A state lottery-funded program for adults 60 and older with a sliding-scale co-payment and no income cap; it lists home modifications for safety and accessibility but does not name stair lifts. Call GECAC at (814) 459-4581.
Grants for veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability who own or will own the home, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026); stair lifts are not named on the source, so confirm before applying. Call (800) 827-1000.
A federally funded center at 3410 W 12th St in Erie serving people with disabilities, veterans and older residents with independent-living services and referrals; whether it helps with stair lifts is unknown. Call (800) 530-5541.
Older adults
18 W. 9th St., Erie, 16501
Veterans
208 E. Bayfront Parkway, Suite 102, Erie, 16507
Yes, in two cases. The GECAC Caregiver Support Program serves caregivers of a person of any age with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, and Community HealthChoices starts at age 21 for Medicaid enrollees who need a nursing-facility level of care.
Community HealthChoices explicitly covers stair glides as home accessibility equipment. There is no published dollar cap; it is approved case by case in the plan of care through your managed-care organization. Call (877) 550-4227 to start.
Call GECAC at (814) 459-4581. If she is 60 or older, the Caregiver Support Program lists stairlifts among covered items up to a $5,000 lifetime benefit, and the same office runs the OPTIONS Program.
The SAH and SHA grants fund adapting a home for veterans with a qualifying service-connected disability, but the source does not name stair lifts, so ask the VA at (800) 827-1000. The Erie County Department of Veteran Services at (814) 451-6265 can help with the paperwork.
Short flights inside a split-level can often take a straight lift on each run, and exterior entry steps need an outdoor-rated model. If a wheelchair is involved, a platform lift may make more sense; we measure every flight before recommending one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
