In Binghamton, Johnson City and Endicott, a lot of houses were built with raised entries, front-porch steps and a full staircase between the street-level door and the rooms people actually live in. Many of those homes went up during the county's mid-20th-century manufacturing boom, and the same families often still live in them.
That layout works fine until the stairs start to feel steep. This page walks through how Broome County's homes and hills shape the kind of stair lift that fits, and which local and state programs can help cover the cost.
The county has 93,607 housing units, and the stock is older and modest, with a median owner-occupied home value of about $162,600. Here you'll find single-family homes, townhouses, row houses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes, and each one asks something different of a lift.
A full interior staircase that runs in one straight line is the simplest case, and a straight lift is usually the answer. Stairs that turn at a landing or wrap around a corner need a curved rail built to that staircase.
Split-level homes deserve a closer look. They often have several short flights instead of one long one, so we look at which levels the person needs to reach every day before suggesting anything.
Broome County sits in the Southern Tier on the Allegheny Plateau. The western half has wide valleys where Binghamton and its suburbs sit, while the east gets more rugged as the land rises toward the Catskill Mountains. Elevation runs from about 864 feet along the Susquehanna River to roughly 2,087 feet at the highest point.
On sloped lots, the trouble often starts outside, at the porch steps or the walk up to a raised front door. An outdoor stair lift can handle exterior steps, and a platform lift is an option when someone uses a wheelchair.
Winters are cold, with an average January high around 29°F and a low around 16°F. Icy exterior steps are a seasonal fall hazard, which is one more reason to think about the outside stairs along with the inside ones.
About 19.9% of Broome County's 246,836 residents are 65 or older, and 63.5% of households own their homes. That adds up to a lot of older owners staying in the houses they have lived in for years.
If someone in your family served, it is worth checking the VA programs listed below, though not every one of them pays for a stair lift.
The county's economy was built around IBM, which traces its roots to Endicott. After IBM closed its last local facility in October 2023, Broome became one of the state's poorer counties, with median household income around $62,616 and a poverty rate near 18.5%.
For many families, that makes grant and waiver programs the first stop instead of paying out of pocket. The Access to Home Program and the NHTD Medicaid waiver are the two local paths that cover stair lifts or home modifications. USDA Section 504 money is worth asking about if you live in a rural part of the county.
Funding is limited and applying does not guarantee an award, so call early and ask what documents they need. The programs below list who to contact.
A state home modification grant for households at or below 80% of area median income with a documented substantial physical disability, and stair glides are an eligible modification. The current round assists up to 8 housing units across Broome and Chenango Counties, so call (607) 334-7114 to ask about openings.
A Medicaid waiver for people who need nursing facility level of care but want to live at home, covering home modifications and assistive technology as part of an individual service plan. It is open to people 65 and up, or 18 to 64 with a permanent physical disability; call Southern Tier Independence Center at (607) 724-2111.
Federal repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners, with grants limited to people 62 and older who cannot repay a loan. The source does not mention stair lifts, and the City of Binghamton is unlikely to qualify, though many surrounding towns may.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 for medically needed structural changes such as entrances and bathrooms. It specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts; call (607) 772-9100 with questions about other modifications.
A grant of up to $126,526 (FY2026) for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home. The source does not mention stair lifts; call (607) 772-9100 to ask about your situation.
A grant of up to $25,350 (FY2026) for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or severe burns. Stair lifts are not mentioned in the source; call (607) 772-9100 for details.
Cost-shared personal care and chore aide hours for county residents 60 and older who are not on Medicaid. It does not fund equipment or modifications, but (607) 778-2411 is a good first call for help at home.
Older adults
60 Hawley Street 4th Floor, Binghamton, 13902
Veterans
60 Hawley Street 5th Floor, Binghamton, 13903
The HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts in their source material, so ask directly at (607) 772-9100 or the Broome County Veterans Service Agency at (607) 724-1299, 60 Hawley Street 5th Floor, Binghamton.
Yes. The NHTD waiver accepts people 18 to 64 with a documented permanent physical disability, and the Access to Home Program has no age requirement listed, only income and disability rules.
The Access to Home Program is open to tenants as long as the landlord approves the work. Call (607) 334-7114 to ask.
The City of Binghamton is unlikely to fall in a USDA-eligible rural area. Many surrounding Broome County towns do, so check your address on USDA's eligibility map.
Its EISEP program pays for in-home personal care and chore help, not equipment. The Broome County Office for the Aging at (607) 778-2411 is still a useful place to start when a parent needs help at home.
Yes, outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, and a platform lift can work for a wheelchair user. With the county's cold winters and icy steps, it makes sense to look at the outside stairs during the same home visit.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
