Walk through the older neighborhoods of Hanford and you see two-story Victorians, early-20th-century homes, Craftsman bungalows, mid-century ranch houses and Spanish Colonial Revival homes. Out past town, in places like Armona, Stratford and Corcoran, older multi-level farmhouses still stand. Many of these homes put the bedrooms upstairs, and that staircase is often the first thing that gets hard for a longtime owner.
We install stair lifts across all 9 towns in Kings County, including Lemoore, Avenal, Lemoore Station, Home Garden and Kettleman City. This page covers which kind of lift tends to fit local homes, what the valley climate means for the equipment, and which programs may help with the cost.
The land here is flat, so the trouble is rarely a hillside driveway. It is the interior stairs in two-story Victorians and older farmhouses, where the only full bathroom or main bedroom sits on the second floor.
Hanford's historic districts and its downtown core, home to the 1929 Fox Theatre and the Kings County Courthouse, are surrounded by homes built long before anyone planned for aging in place. Stairs in these houses can be narrow, steep or broken up by a landing.
A straight stair lift fits a single run of stairs with no turns. It is the simplest install and works in many bungalows and ranch-style homes that have a basement or loft stair.
Split-level farmhouses and Victorians with a landing or a turn usually need a curved lift, built on a rail shaped to that one staircase. We measure on site before recommending anything.
A platform lift carries a wheelchair rather than a seated rider. It can make sense for a few steps at an entry in a single-family home, duplex or townhouse, depending on the layout.
Kings County sits at about 249 feet in the south-central San Joaquin Valley, roughly 28 miles south-southeast of Fresno. Summers routinely go past 100°F, and winters bring dense tule fog with mild temperatures.
Indoor lifts are not much affected by any of that. If an outdoor lift is part of the plan, we talk through heat exposure and damp foggy mornings when choosing the model and its cover.
Kings County has 136,242 residents, and 10.3% are 65 or older. In Hanford, 13.0% of residents were 65 or older as of the 2020 census, many of them longtime rural homeowners. About 53.8% of households in the county own their homes, which matters because most repair and modification programs are limited to owner-occupied homes.
Navy's largest master jet base, 15.5 miles west-southwest of Hanford. The Kings County Veterans Services Office at 1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Law Building #4, Hanford 93230 can be reached at (559) 852-2669.
Medi-Cal's HCBA Waiver lists home modifications as a covered service, but it is meant for people who would otherwise need nursing-facility level care, and it has a waitlist. For homeowners, Self-Help Enterprises and USDA Rural Development Section 504 offer repair loans and grants that include accessibility work, though stair lifts are not named outright.
Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can look at VA SAH and SHA grants. Statewide, you can also ask about VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and the FreedomTech Low-Interest Assistive Technology Loan. The program list below gives the details and phone numbers.
A statewide Medi-Cal waiver that covers home modifications, including stair lifts, for people eligible for nursing-facility level care, with no fixed individual cost limit but a capped enrollment and an active waitlist. Apply through the regional HCBA Waiver Agency at (800) 776-5746.
A county-run Medi-Cal program that pays for personal-care and domestic service hours for low-income aged, blind or disabled recipients. It does not pay for stair lifts or other home equipment.
Provides information and referral, HICAP Medicare counseling, caregiver support, meals and referrals to home-modification resources for residents 60 and older, with some services for 55+ and caregivers. It does not directly fund stair lifts; call (559) 624-8000.
A local nonprofit offering nutrition, Meals on Wheels, adult day care, ombudsman, caregiver support and help with CalFresh and Medi-Cal for seniors, generally 60 and older. No stair lift or home-modification program is listed; call (559) 852-2828.
Deferred-payment loans and grants with no monthly payments for low and moderate income owner-occupied homes, covering health and safety repairs that include handicap accessible modifications; stair lifts are not specifically mentioned. Kings County participation runs through the City of Corcoran program, so call (559) 802-1647 to confirm eligibility.
Federal loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older, combined up to $50,000, for very-low-income owners in eligible rural areas; grants can make a home accessible for a disabled household member. Stair lifts are not named in the source, and much of rural Kings County outside the Hanford core is USDA-eligible.
National VA grants for veterans with specific service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026, usable up to 6 times; stair lifts are not specifically listed. Apply with VA Form 26-4555, and the Kings County Veterans Services Office at (559) 852-2669 can help.
Older adults
5957 South Mooney Boulevard, Visalia, 93277
Veterans
1400 W. Lacey Blvd., Law Building #4, Hanford, 93230
It can through the Medi-Cal HCBA Waiver, which covers home modifications for people who qualify for nursing-facility level care. Enrollment is capped statewide at 8,974 slots as of July 2023, so expect a waitlist. Call (800) 776-5746 to apply.
No. In-Home Supportive Services pays for personal-care and household help hours, not equipment or construction.
Most Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging services are for residents 60 and older, but some are open at 55+ and to caregivers. USDA Section 504 loans have no age limit, though the grant portion requires age 62 or older.
Yes. Much of rural Kings County outside the Hanford core is USDA-eligible for Section 504 home repair loans and grants, which can fund accessibility work for very-low-income homeowners.
Contact the Kings County Veterans Services Office in Hanford at (559) 852-2669. They can help with VA SAH and SHA grants and statewide VA benefits such as HISA and Prosthetics.
The Kings-Tulare Area Agency on Aging (PSA 15) is at 5957 South Mooney Boulevard, Visalia 93277, phone (559) 737-4660. The Kings County Commission on Aging is at (559) 852-2828.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
