Kent County has one town, Jayton, and a lot of open ground around it: 903 square miles of rolling, broken prairie and mesquite woodland on the Rolling Plains. Much of Jayton was built up during the county's 1930s population peak and the oil boom that ran from 1946 to 1991, so many homes here are older family houses that have been owned for a long time.
Those houses were not built with today's single-story, step-free standards in mind. For a homeowner who wants to stay put in an older multi-level home, a stair lift is often a practical, lower-cost choice than moving or adding a first-floor bedroom, especially in a county where contractors for major remodeling are scarce.
About 36.1% of Kent County residents are 65 or older, and 82.8% of households own their homes. That combination matters: a lot of people here own the house outright and would rather adapt it than leave it.
The 2024 estimated median home value was $122,200, well below the Texas and national medians. When a house is worth that, spending on a large addition can be hard to justify, while a stair lift keeps the upstairs usable without rebuilding anything.
Most homes in the county are single-family, detached houses, including ranch-style homes. A one-level ranch house may only need help at the entry steps, while an older two-story house usually needs a lift on the main staircase.
A straight staircase with no turns or landings takes a straight stair lift, the simplest kind to fit. Stairs that turn, have a landing partway up, or curve need a curved lift built to that staircase. If the steps are at the front porch or back door, an outdoor lift or a platform lift is the option to talk through, and a platform lift also works for someone who needs to stay in a wheelchair.
Jayton sits in a sparsely populated part of West Texas at 1,900 to 2,400 feet, and the nearest larger service hubs are Abilene to the southeast and Lubbock to the northwest, both roughly 90 to 100 miles away. That distance affects how quickly an installer can get to you for installation, service or repair compared with more urban Texas counties.
Plan ahead. Ask about scheduling and repair visits before you buy, and if the person is still getting up the stairs, start the process before it becomes urgent rather than after a fall.
No single program here is confirmed to pay for stair lifts by name, so the honest approach is to call a few places and ask directly. The West Central Texas AAA in Abilene serves Kent County and is a good first call for anyone 60 or older. Its office is at 1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601, phone (325) 672-8544.
USDA Rural Development repair loans and grants cover accessibility changes for rural homeowners, and all of Kent County counts as rural. Veterans should know that the VA's HISA benefit specifically excludes stair glides, so the SAH and SHA grants are the VA programs to ask about. For veteran-related help in the region, Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas is at 500 Chestnut Street, Suite 1100, Abilene, 79602, phone (325) 795-4245.
Other statewide programs you may hear about include the Amy Young Barrier Removal Program (AYBR) and the Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Waiver. Each program below lists what is known about it.
A Texas Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older, or 21 and older with a qualifying disability, who need nursing-facility level care; it carries a statewide interest list, and stair lift coverage is not listed in the source. Call (877) 438-5658 to ask about eligibility and home modifications.
Repairs or modifications essential to the health and safety of an older person, for residents 60 and older (or their family caregivers) in a 19-county region that includes Kent County; stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (325) 793-8417 to ask for a screening.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older, for very-low-income owners in rural areas such as Kent County; approved work includes accessibility changes, though stair lifts are not listed by name.
A VA benefit for permanent changes like ramps, roll-in showers and widened doorways, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status; it does not cover stair lifts, as stair glides are specifically excluded. Call (877) 222-8387 with questions.
Grants for veterans with certain severe disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA; the VA source does not name stair lifts among covered adaptations. Call (877) 222-8387 to ask whether your project qualifies.
A Lubbock-area center for independent living offering advocacy, peer support and referrals, serving Kent County through purchased services; it is not an equipment fund and stair lifts are not listed. Call (806) 795-5433 for help finding home-modification funding.
Older adults
1025 EN 10th St., Abilene, 79601
Veterans
500 Chestnut Street, Suite 1100, Abilene, 79602
For someone 60 or older, start with the Area Agency on Aging of West Central Texas at (325) 793-8417 or the West Central Texas AAA office in Abilene at (325) 672-8544. Ask about the Residential Repair program and whether a stair lift could qualify.
The STAR+PLUS waiver can serve adults 21 and older with a qualifying disability who meet Medicaid rules; call (877) 438-5658. LIFE Inc. at (806) 795-5433 also works with people with disabilities in Kent County and can point you toward funding.
Not through HISA, which specifically excludes stair glides. Veterans with certain severe disabilities can ask about the SAH or SHA grants at (877) 222-8387, though the VA source does not name stair lifts as covered.
All of Kent County counts as rural for the Section 504 program, and approved work includes accessibility changes. Stair lifts are not listed by name, so ask directly when you apply. Grants require the homeowner to be 62 or older.
Yes. Both cities are roughly 90 to 100 miles from Jayton, which can affect response times for installation, service and repair. Ask about scheduling and repair visits before you commit.
Maybe not inside, but many homes still have steps at the porch or back door. An outdoor lift or a platform lift can handle entry steps, and a platform lift works for someone using a wheelchair.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
