Covington's two National Register Historic Districts, the downtown square/Floyd Street district and the North Emory/Odum Street district, hold some of the oldest houses in this part of Georgia. Many are Greek Revival, Second Empire and Italianate homes where the bedrooms sit upstairs and a full interior staircase is the only way up. A few of them even survived Sherman's 1864 march to the sea.
Outside the county seat, Oxford, Porterdale, Newborn and Mansfield have a different mix: single-family homes, ranch-style homes, split-level homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. This page walks through what each of those layouts means for a stair lift and where Newton County families can look for help paying for one.
Covington began building up in 1821, and its antebellum and Victorian-era homes were never designed with aging in place in mind. When the only bedroom suite is on the second floor, the staircase decides whether someone can keep living in the house.
Older staircases in these homes often turn at a landing or curve along a wall. A straight-rail lift only works on a single straight run, so a turning stair usually needs a curved rail built to fit that exact staircase. We measure each step and landing before quoting, because these stairs rarely match a standard pattern.
A stair lift rail mounts to the treads, not the wall, which matters in a house where owners want to keep original plaster and trim intact.
Newton County covers 279 square miles of Georgia Piedmont, and its population grew 61.2% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses to 112,483 residents. A lot of that housing is newer than downtown Covington, but it still has stairs.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, often several of them. Each flight may need its own straight lift, or one curved rail if the runs connect. Townhouses usually have one long straight flight, which is the simplest and lowest-cost type of install.
Ranch-style homes are mostly on one floor, yet many have steps up to the front or back door, or down to a basement. For entry steps, an outdoor-rated lift or a platform lift for a wheelchair can be the better fit. In walk-up apartments, the building owner has to approve any install on a shared stair.
About 15.7% of residents are 65 or older, and 70.2% of the county's 39,477 households are owner-occupied. Many long-term residents are staying in the same single-family homes they have owned for years, which is exactly the situation a stair lift is built for.
The Georgia Department of Veterans Service - Conyers Veterans Field Service Office at 983 Taylor St., Conyers, GA 30012 can help with paperwork. Their number is (770) 388-5075.
None of the programs listed below name stair lifts in their source material, so treat each one as a phone call to ask, not a promise of coverage. Some do mention home modifications in general, which is the category a stair lift would fall under.
A good first call is the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission AAA at 305 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30605, reachable at (706) 583-2546. Newton County is one of the 12 counties it serves, and staff can point you toward waivers and other help.
Statewide programs worth asking about include the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), the Home Access Program, the Credit-Able Loan Program, VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics), the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and the SOURCE Waiver.
Medicaid home and community-based waivers for frail elderly people and adults with disabilities who meet a nursing-facility level of care; stair lifts are not listed, though the related ICWP names home modifications. Call (877) 423-4746.
Federal grants for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, with FY2026 caps of up to $126,526 (SAH), $25,350 (SHA), and $50,961 or $9,100 (TRA), usable up to 6 times. Ramps and widened doorways are named as examples but stair lifts are not listed; call (800) 827-1000.
A referral and assessment service for older adults and adults with disabilities in a 12-county area that includes Newton County; it is not a cash grant and stair lifts are not listed. Call (706) 583-2546 to start.
Older adults
305 Research Drive, Athens, 30605
Veterans
983 Taylor St., Conyers, 30012
Usually, yes. Staircases in Greek Revival, Second Empire and Italianate homes often turn or curve, so they tend to need a curved rail made for that staircase rather than a straight one.
The CCSP and SOURCE waiver materials do not name stair lifts. The related Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) names home modifications, so it is worth calling (877) 423-4746 to ask.
VA housing grants (SAH, SHA and TRA) cover home modifications for qualifying service-connected disabilities, though stair lifts are not named. The Conyers Veterans Field Service Office at (770) 388-5075 can help you apply.
The Northeast Georgia Regional Commission AAA in Athens serves Newton County. Their number is (706) 583-2546.
An outdoor-rated stair lift can work on entry steps. If your parent uses a wheelchair, a platform lift is usually the better option.
Sometimes, but the building owner has to approve it because the stairs are shared. Get that approval before scheduling a measurement.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
