Kern County runs from the flat valley floor around Bakersfield, Shafter and Wasco up into Tehachapi, Bear Valley Springs, Golden Hills and Pine Mountain Club, and out to desert towns like Ridgecrest, Mojave, Rosamond and California City. Elevations go from about 206 feet on the valley floor to 8,822 feet at Sawmill Mountain, so the stairs we see change a lot from one end of the county to the other.
Bakersfield alone grew from roughly 105,000 people in 1980 to 403,455 at the 2020 census, and much of that growth went into two-story tract homes and newer developments on the bluff east of town toward Rio Bravo and Kern Canyon. If a parent or spouse is starting to struggle with the stairs in one of those homes, this page walks through what kind of lift fits and where Kern County residents can look for help paying for it.
Most of the Bakersfield metro sits on flat ground at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The barrier here is usually inside the house: a single straight staircase in a two-story home built during the tract expansion of the last few decades.
A straight staircase is the simplest and least involved stair lift to install. The rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so it works in single-family homes and townhouses alike. If the stairs have a landing or a turn, a curved rail built to that staircase is the usual answer.
Homes on the bluff east of Bakersfield and in foothill and mountain communities like Tehachapi, Frazier Park and the Kern River Valley often sit on sloped, multi-level lots. That can mean stairs inside, plus steps from the driveway or garage up to the front door.
Split-level layouts often need more than one lift or a curved rail that follows several short flights. Exterior steps can take an outdoor-rated lift built to handle sun, rain and temperature swings. We look at every set of stairs a person actually uses, not just the main staircase.
Manufactured homes are common across the county, including in desert and rural towns. Here the problem is usually a short run of entry steps outside rather than an interior staircase.
For a short rise, an outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can make more sense than a ramp that would need a lot of yard space. A platform lift also works for someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat.
Kern County has 860,833 residents across 72 towns and communities.
That homeownership rate matters, because most of the funding programs below are limited to owner-occupied homes. Longtime owners who want to stay in a paid-off house in Oildale, East Bakersfield or Lake Isabella are often the people for whom a lift makes the most sense.
There is no single program that pays for every stair lift, so it helps to match the person to the right door. Medi-Cal members who need nursing-home level care can ask about the HCBA Waiver. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities should look at the VA SAH and SHA grants and can start with Kern County Veterans Service at 1120 Golden State Ave in Bakersfield, (661) 868-7300.
Lower-income homeowners can ask the county Planning and Natural Resources Department about its Home Access Grant and Home Improvement Loan programs at (661) 862-5050. Owners in Arvin and Delano have a separate option through Self-Help Enterprises. If you are not sure where to start, Kern County Aging & Adult Services at 5357 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, (661) 868-1000, can point you to the right one.
Statewide programs worth asking about include the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan. The full list of local programs is below.
A Medi-Cal waiver that funds home modifications case by case under its Environmental Accessibility Adaptations category, which covers stair lifts, for people who need nursing facility level of care. There is a statewide waitlist; call (800) 300-1506.
A county grant for accessibility modifications in owner-occupied homes, with income limits; the source does not mention stair lifts specifically. Call (661) 862-5050 to confirm what it covers and the current limits.
A county loan for repairs and improvements to income-qualified, owner-occupied homes; stair lifts are not mentioned in the source. Call (661) 862-5050 for amounts and eligibility.
A Medi-Cal program that pays for personal care and household help hours, such as bathing and grocery shopping. It does not cover stair lifts or other home modifications; call (661) 868-1000.
Information, referral and options counseling for Kern County seniors 60 and older, people with disabilities and caregivers. It does not fund stair lifts directly but connects people to home-modification and repair resources; call (661) 868-1000.
Helps Kern County residents with a diagnosed disability with accessible housing, home modifications, assistive technology and referrals, but is not a direct funder of stair lifts. Call (661) 325-1063 to ask about any device or loan programs.
Deferred-payment loans and grants for income-qualified homeowners in Arvin and Delano, with no monthly payment, and the scope includes handicap accessible modifications; stair lifts are not named. Call (559) 802-1647.
Federal grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities to adapt a home they own or will own, and stair lifts are covered. Call (800) 827-1000.
A Bakersfield nonprofit at 1500 E 19th St with an older adults home repair and aging-in-place area of work for low-income homeowners. Stair lifts are not mentioned, so contact the affiliate directly about accessibility work.
Older adults
5357 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, 93309
Veterans
1120 Golden State Ave, Bakersfield, 93301
No. In-Home Supportive Services pays for personal care and household help hours, not equipment or home modifications. For a lift, look at the HCBA Waiver, VA grants or the county Home Access Grant instead.
Yes, depending on the situation. The Independent Living Center of Kern County works with residents who have a diagnosed disability, at (661) 325-1063, and the HCBA Waiver serves people who are disabled or medically fragile, not only older adults. The KC-ADRC also serves people with disabilities, not just seniors 60 and older.
Self-Help Enterprises runs a housing rehabilitation program in Arvin and Delano for income-qualified homeowners. Its scope includes handicap accessible modifications, paid through deferred loans or grants with no monthly payment. Call (559) 802-1647 to ask whether a stair lift qualifies.
Usually not. Indoor and outdoor stairs are separate runs, so each typically gets its own lift, with an outdoor-rated model for the exterior steps. On a sloped lot we measure every flight the person uses before recommending anything.
Through the HCBA Waiver it can, as part of its Environmental Accessibility Adaptations category, decided case by case with no fixed dollar cap. The person must need nursing facility level of care and meet Medi-Cal financial limits, and there is a waitlist. Call (800) 300-1506.
Kern County Veterans Service at 1120 Golden State Ave in Bakersfield, (661) 868-7300, can help with VA applications. The VA SAH and SHA grants are for qualifying service-connected disabilities, and the VA line is (800) 827-1000.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
