Holmes County spreads across roughly 478.9 square miles of Florida's inland Panhandle, right up against the Alabama line. Bonifay is the county seat, and the other towns here are Ponce de Leon, Esto, Westville and Noma. Much of the land is agricultural, and plenty of homes sit on acreage rather than on a town street.
That shapes what a stair lift job looks like here. A lot of the housing is single-story manufactured homes and rural farmhouses, so the steps that cause trouble are often the ones at the front door or porch, not an indoor staircase. Split-level and other multi-level homes are a different story, and we cover both below.
The county's housing is mostly single-story manufactured and mobile homes and farmhouses, along with single-family, ranch-style and split-level houses. Manufactured homes are allowed in Agriculture, Rural Residential, Crossroads Mixed Use and Low/Medium Density Residential districts, and mobile home parks are mostly found in Medium Density Residential zones.
A one-story home can still have steps at the entry. For those, the usual answer is an outdoor stair lift built to handle weather, or a vertical platform lift if someone uses a wheelchair and needs to stay in it.
Split-level homes have short runs of stairs between floors. If a run is straight, a straight stair lift is the simplest and least costly fit. If it turns or has a landing partway, it needs a curved rail made to that staircase.
About 24.7% of Holmes County residents are 65 or older, so many families are already thinking about how a parent will get in and out of the house safely. Around 60.7% of households own their home, which matters because owners can usually approve a permanent installation without a landlord's sign-off.
If that includes someone in your family, read the VA notes below before you count on a grant, because one of the main VA home programs does not cover stair lifts.
We start by looking at every set of steps the person actually uses each day: the porch, the back door, any interior staircase. For outdoor steps we check the footing and how much space is at the top and bottom for getting on and off safely.
Indoors, we count turns and landings and check the width of the stairs. That tells us whether a straight unit will work or whether a curved or platform lift is the better choice.
There is no single program here that clearly pays for stair lifts, so it helps to know what each one says. Florida's Medicaid long-term care program lists home modifications for accessibility but does not name stair lifts. The local Area Agency on Aging does not list a home-modification program. The VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Other statewide options worth asking about include the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. Details for each program we have on file are listed below.
For veterans, Holmes County Veterans Services is in Bonifay at 812-B S. Waukesha Street, 32425, phone (850) 547-2897. The nearest VA clinic we have listed is the Panama City Beach VA Clinic.
A Medicaid managed long-term care benefit for people 65 and older (or 18 and older with a disability) who meet nursing facility level of care through a CARES assessment, with a 2026 limit of $2,982 a month in income and $2,000 in assets for a single applicant. It lists home modifications for accessibility but does not mention stair lifts; call (800) 963-5337.
The Area Agency on Aging serving Holmes County residents 60 and older, offering Community Care for the Elderly, Home Care for the Elderly, the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative and meal and support services. No home-modification or stair lift program is listed; call (850) 488-0055 or write to 2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308.
A VA grant for structural home changes for veterans with a service-connected or compensable disability, with a lifetime maximum of $6,800 or $2,000 depending on disability status. It does not cover stair lifts, since stair glides and porch lifts are on its exclusion list; call (877) 222-8387.
Older adults
2414 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee, 32308
Veterans
812-B S. Waukesha Street, Bonifay, 32425
Many Holmes County homes are single-story, but the steps at the front or back door can still be a problem. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle those entry steps.
Not through the HISA grant, which lists stair glides and porch lifts as excluded items. Holmes County Veterans Services in Bonifay, (850) 547-2897, can talk through other VA benefits, including the prosthetics side of VA benefits.
The SMMC LTC program lists home modifications for accessibility, but it does not name stair lifts, and coverage varies by managed care plan and individual care plan. Call (800) 963-5337 to ask about eligibility and what your plan allows.
Advantage Aging Solutions (PSA 2) serves Holmes County residents 60 and older at (850) 488-0055. Its listed programs focus on in-home care, Alzheimer's support and meals rather than home modifications.
The VA facility we have listed for the area is the Panama City Beach VA Clinic in Panama City Beach.
Holmes County includes Bonifay, Ponce de Leon, Esto, Westville and Noma, along with the rural acreage around them.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
