Manassas packs a lot of housing into about 9.9 square miles. Downtown, the Manassas Historic District holds properties such as Liberia House and Annaburg, dating from 1825-1914. Around it spread the subdivisions of the 1980s construction boom, which account for about 35% of the homes standing today.
Those two kinds of houses ask different things of a stair lift. A split-level or two-story colonial from the 1980s usually has one straight or L-shaped staircase as the only way between floors. An older, multi-level house downtown can have stairs that turn, narrow or run in more than one flight. This page walks through what that means for your home and where Manassas residents can look for help paying for a lift.
The bulk of suburban housing in Manassas went up between 1980 and 1989. Two-story colonial and split-level layouts from that era commonly have a single straight or L-shaped interior staircase connecting the floors.
A straight staircase is the simplest case. A straight rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and the chair folds up when nobody is riding, so others can still use the steps.
An L-shaped staircase with a landing usually calls for a curved rail built to follow the turn. Split-level homes may have more than one short run of stairs, so it helps to decide which flight matters most for daily life, often the one to the bedroom and bathroom, before measuring.
Houses in the historic core are older, multi-level construction. Staircases in homes of that age can be steeper or tighter than in newer subdivisions, and some turn partway up.
A curved rail is often the answer for these stairs, because it is made to fit the exact shape of the staircase. An in-home measurement tells you quickly whether a straight unit will work or whether the turns rule it out.
Townhouses, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings are also part of the local mix. If you rent or share a stairway, you will need the owner's approval before anything is attached.
Manassas has a humid subtropical climate, with January averaging around 33°F. Ice and snow are a seasonal factor on porch steps, stoops and walkways.
If the trouble starts at the front door rather than inside, an outdoor stair lift built for the weather or a vertical platform lift may make more sense than a ramp on a short yard. For someone using a wheelchair, a platform lift carries the chair itself instead of requiring a transfer to a seat.
Manassas skews younger than much of Virginia. About 10.3% of residents are 65 or older, so many older homeowners are long-time residents living among newer commuter households.
About 72.2% of households own their homes, which matters because several grants below require ownership.
Start with the Prince William Area Agency on Aging at (703) 792-6374. It serves the City of Manassas and can point you to home repair and renovation resources. The county's Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program lists accessibility modifications as an eligible improvement for income-qualified homeowners in Manassas.
Two common paths do not work here. Manassas is excluded from Virginia's EHARP grant because it is a federal entitlement jurisdiction, and as a fully urbanized city it is generally not eligible for USDA Rural Development's Section 504 program. The VA HISA grant specifically does not cover stair glides.
Medicaid through the CCC Plus waiver covers environmental modifications, and veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may look at the SAH and SHA grants. Statewide, you can also ask about the Virginia Livable Home Tax Credit (LHTC) and the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA). The program list below covers each local option.
A Medicaid waiver for older adults and people with physical disabilities or serious chronic illness that covers environmental modifications as a service; the official page does not mention stair lifts by name. Call (833) 522-5582.
Provides information, referral and care coordination for older adults in Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, including a home repair and renovation resource page; stair lifts are not mentioned specifically. Call (703) 792-6374.
A CDBG-funded rehabilitation program for homeowners in Manassas earning no more than 80% of the Washington D.C. MSA area median income, with accessibility modifications listed as eligible; stair lifts are not named. Call (703) 492-2302.
A state grant of up to $4,000 for accessibility repairs, but the City of Manassas is listed as an excluded area, so residents are directed to local CDBG programs instead. The state office is at (804) 371-7000.
A VA grant for medically necessary home alterations, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on disability status; it does not cover stair glides or porch lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veteran homeowners with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; stair lifts are not mentioned specifically. Call (800) 827-1000.
A Manassas-based center offering information, referral, peer support and advocacy for people with disabilities age 18 and up; it does not list a stair lift funding program. Call (703) 257-5400.
Older adults
5 County Complex Court, Prince William, 22192
Veterans
15941 Donald Curtis Drive Suite 124, Woodbridge, 22191
No. The City of Manassas is listed as an excluded area for EHARP because it is a federal entitlement jurisdiction. Residents are directed to the county's CDBG-funded Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program at (703) 492-2302 instead.
The VA lists stair glides and porch lifts among items HISA does not cover. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can ask about the SAH and SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, though those pages do not name stair lifts either.
Generally not. That program requires a USDA-designated rural area, and Manassas is a fully urbanized independent city. Local CDBG, Medicaid and VA routes are the better places to look.
Often it can, since homes from that era commonly have a single straight or L-shaped staircase. If your stairs turn at a landing, you will likely need a curved rail, and a split-level may need a lift on more than one short flight.
The Prince William Area Agency on Aging at (703) 792-6374 serves the City of Manassas and can point you to home repair resources and other aging services. Prince William County Veterans Services uses the same number for veteran questions.
The Independence Empowerment Center serves people with disabilities age 18 and up in Manassas and offers referral and advocacy at (703) 257-5400. The CCC Plus waiver also covers individuals with physical disabilities, not only older adults.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
