Most of Houston County's housing grew up fast around Robins Air Force Base. Warner Robins went from roughly 50 residents in 1940 to nearly 8,000 by 1950 and to over 80,000 by 2020, and the homes went up in waves to match. Perry, the county seat, Centerville and the base community round out the towns we serve here.
Homes built that quickly from the postwar decades onward often share the same traits: a second floor, a split-level layout, or a few steps at the front or back door. Those features work fine for decades, then turn into the reason someone stops using half the house. This page walks through which kind of lift fits which kind of home, and where the money can come from.
Because Warner Robins expanded in bursts rather than slowly around an old town center, a lot of the county's single-family homes and detached houses were built to similar plans. Many of them have one straight flight to the bedrooms. A straight staircase is the simplest and usually the quickest stair lift job.
A straight lift runs on a rail fastened to the stair treads, not the wall, so most homes need no structural changes. When we measure, we look at the stair width, the top and bottom landings, and whether a door or hallway sits close to either end.
Split-level homes are common enough here that they deserve their own conversation. Instead of one long flight, you get two or three short ones with landings in between. That can mean one curved rail that follows the turns, or separate straight lifts on each short run, depending on how the landings are laid out.
Townhouses often have narrow stairs that turn at the top or bottom, which also points toward a curved rail. In walk-up apartments, the stairs may be shared or owned by the building, so the first step is a conversation with the property owner before anything gets measured.
The steps outside can be the bigger problem. Many homes in the county have entry-step configurations that get harder to manage with age, even when the inside of the house is on one floor.
For a short run of exterior steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure can work. If the person uses a wheelchair, a vertical platform lift that raises the chair itself is usually the better fit. We check the slope of the ground, the door swing and where a platform could sit before recommending either.
About 12.9% of county residents are 65 or older, and 56.7% own their homes. Owners can make permanent changes like a rail or platform, which is why homeownership matters when you start comparing options.
If a veteran lives in the home, the VA grants below are worth checking before paying out of pocket. The Georgia Department of Veterans Service Warner Robins Field Service Office at 1001 S. Armed Forces Blvd. can help, at (478) 218-3906.
Medicare is not on the list below, and most families either pay directly or look to a Medicaid waiver or a VA grant. The programs that name home modifications are the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) and the two VA housing grants. SOURCE and CCSP are major waivers for frail seniors, but their published service lists do not mention home modifications or stair lifts.
A good first call is the Middle Georgia Area Agency on Aging, which covers Houston County from its office at 3661 Eisenhower Pkwy, Ste. MB102 in Macon. You can reach the Middle Georgia Regional Commission AAA at (478) 751-6160 or the intake line at (866) 552-4464. Ask them about the statewide Home Access Program and Credit-Able Loan Program too.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for adults aged 21-64 with severe physical disabilities or traumatic brain injury who meet a nursing facility or hospital level of care, and its covered services include home modifications, the category a stair lift falls under. Call (800) 982-0411.
A Georgia Medicaid waiver for frail elderly and disabled Georgians who meet a nursing facility level of care, covering services like case management, personal care and home-delivered meals; its source does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Access is through the ADRC at (866) 552-4464.
A Medicaid waiver for frail elderly and disabled individuals meeting nursing facility level of care, with the same service list as SOURCE; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (866) 552-4464.
A federal VA grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026 maximum) to buy, build or modify a home for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, and it covers home modifications; it can be used up to 6 times over a lifetime, with a temporary version of up to $50,961 for a family member's home. Call (800) 827-1000.
A federal VA grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026 maximum) to adapt a home owned by the veteran or a family member, for qualifying disabilities such as bilateral hand loss, severe burns or breathing injuries, and it covers home modifications. Call (800) 827-1000.
Houston County's Area Agency on Aging, serving seniors and adults with disabilities in 11 Middle Georgia counties with intake, options counseling and referrals to SOURCE, CCSP and ICWP; it does not list a direct stair lift grant. Call (866) 552-4464.
Older adults
3661 Eisenhower Pkwy, Ste. MB102, Macon, 31206
Veterans
1001 S. Armed Forces Blvd., Warner Robins, 31088
Possibly, through the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), which lists home modifications as a covered service for adults aged 21-64 who meet its disability and level-of-care rules. Call (800) 982-0411 to ask about eligibility.
SOURCE and CCSP serve frail elderly Georgians, but their service lists do not mention stair lifts. The ADRC at (866) 552-4464 can review other options, including the statewide Home Access Program and Credit-Able Loan Program.
Start with the Georgia Department of Veterans Service Warner Robins Field Service Office at (478) 218-3906, or the VA at (800) 827-1000. The SAH and SHA grants both cover home modifications for qualifying service-connected disabilities.
Usually, yes. Depending on the landings, that means either one curved rail through the turns or a separate straight lift on each short flight.
An outdoor stair lift can handle exterior steps, and a vertical platform lift is the better choice for someone in a wheelchair. We look at the ground and door layout before suggesting one.
The Middle Georgia Regional Commission AAA is at 3661 Eisenhower Pkwy, Ste. MB102, Macon, GA 31206. Call (478) 751-6160.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
