Borger started as a 1926 oil-boom camp, and much of what stands there today went up as mid-20th-century single-family homes after Depression-era public works replaced the original shacks. Drive out to Fritch or Stinnett, the county seat, and you see the same pattern: older houses on flat, wind-exposed Panhandle ground.
Those homes were built for working families in the oil and petrochemical years, not for someone who now has trouble with a few porch steps or a short indoor flight. This page walks through how local houses and terrain affect the kind of stair lift that fits, and which programs Hutchinson County residents can call about paying for one.
Much of the county's housing is older single-story stock, common to Panhandle boomtowns. In a one-story house, the stairs that cause trouble are often the steps up to the front or back door, not an indoor staircase.
Split-level homes are a different job. They tend to have short flights between levels, and a straight rail may cover one run while a turn or landing calls for a curved lift. Townhouses and low-rise buildings usually have a single straight flight, which is the simplest and most common install.
Hutchinson County covers 895 square miles of flat Great Plains, crossed by the Canadian River valley, and the wind has little to stop it. An outdoor stair lift for entry steps needs to be a model built for weather exposure, with a cover for the seat and controls.
When the entry has only a few steps and a wheelchair is involved, a vertical platform lift can make more sense than a seat on a rail. We look at the steps, the door swing and the ground at the bottom before recommending either one.
About 77.5% own their homes, which matters because owners can make permanent changes like bolting a rail to the stairs.
Census figures also show 10,166 housing units with a 19.6% vacancy rate, a sign of an aging, shrinking oil-town population. Many families are deciding whether a parent can stay in the house they have lived in for decades.
Outside Borger and Stinnett, the rural layout means longer drives for installers and home-modification contractors. If you live out in the county, plan the measurement visit early so a measurement, order and install can be lined up with fewer trips.
Several of the agencies below are based in Amarillo but serve Hutchinson County by name, so a phone call is usually the first step rather than an office visit.
No program on this page names stair lifts as a covered item, and one, the VA HISA grant, specifically excludes them. Several others cover home modifications in general, so a stair lift may be approved case by case.
For seniors 60 and older, start with the Area Agency on Aging of the Panhandle. Medicaid-eligible adults should ask their STAR+PLUS service coordinator, and veterans can reach the county Veteran's Service Officer at 1400 Veta, Suite 117, Borger, at (806) 273-0148.
A Texas Medicaid waiver for adults 21 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care; its services include minor home modifications, adaptive aids and medical equipment, but stair lifts are not listed by name and must be confirmed with your managed-care service coordinator. Call (877) 782-6440.
A one-time Texas grant of up to $22,500 per household for homeowners or renters with a household member with a disability and income at or below 80% of AMFI; it lists ramps, handrails, door widening and bathroom changes, but not stair lifts. Call TDHCA at (512) 936-7799 to find the current local administrator.
Serves adults 60 and older and their caregivers in Hutchinson County with case management and in-home services, including minor home repairs and modifications; stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (806) 331-2227 to ask what assistance is available now.
Offers loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, in USDA-eligible rural areas with income below 50% of area median; stair lifts are not named, and properties outside Borger and Stinnett need individual eligibility confirmation.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically necessary structural changes such as entrance access and bathroom work; it specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. Veterans apply through their local VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service.
Grants for veterans with specific severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026), to buy, build or adapt a home; stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (800) 827-1000.
An Amarillo-based center for independent living serving Hutchinson County residents of any age with a disability, offering peer support, referrals and housing assistance; it does not list a stair lift or home-modification fund. Call (806) 374-1400.
Older adults
415 SW 8th Ave., Amarillo, 79101
Veterans
1400 Veta, Suite 117, Borger, 79007
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts as removable equipment. The SAH and SHA grants do not list stair lifts by name, so ask at (800) 827-1000 or talk with the county Veteran's Service Officer in Borger at (806) 273-0148.
Yes. The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program and the Panhandle Independent Living Center serve people with disabilities of any age, and STAR+PLUS starts at age 21. The Area Agency on Aging of the Panhandle is for people 60 and older.
The Panhandle AAA office is at 415 SW 8th Ave., Amarillo, TX 79101, phone (806) 372-3381. It lists Hutchinson County among the counties it serves, and you can also reach the agency at (806) 331-2227.
An outdoor-rated model with a weather cover is the right choice for exposed entry steps on the open plains. For a few steps with a wheelchair user, a platform lift may fit better.
The Amy Young Barrier Removal Program accepts both renters and homeowners, and HISA applies to owned or rented homes, though HISA does not cover stair lifts. USDA Section 504 and the SAH and SHA grants are for homeowners or those planning to own.
Possibly. Section 504 is for USDA-eligible rural areas, and each property in the county's rural areas needs individual eligibility confirmation.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
