From the glass city of Corning to the county seat in Bath and the railroad town of Hornell, Steuben County is spread across about 1,404 square miles of Southern Tier hills and valleys. Outside the small city centers, many families live in older farmhouses and two-story homes built in the early to mid 20th century, where the only bedrooms and often the only full bath sit at the top of an interior staircase.
That layout works for decades and then one day it doesn't. This page walks through how the homes in places like Canisteo, Addison, Wayland and Painted Post affect which stair lift fits, and which county, state and federal programs a Steuben County household can call about paying for one.
Most homes here are single-family and detached, and the classic two-story farmhouse usually has one straight run of stairs from the living space to the bedrooms. A straight staircase is the simplest install: the rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and the house does not need to be torn up.
Older farmhouses are a different story when the stairs turn, narrow at the top or have a landing partway up. Those staircases call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, which takes measuring before anything can be ordered.
Split-level homes and townhouses often have several short flights instead of one long one. Each flight may need its own lift, so it pays to decide which floors the person truly needs to reach every day. Walk-up apartments add a question of permission from the building owner before any rail goes in.
Steuben County sits just north of the Pennsylvania border, and with about 66 people per square mile, a lot of homes are on rural hillside lots rather than flat city streets. That often means steps up to the porch or down to a side entry before you ever reach the inside staircase.
For those outside steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather is one option. Where someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a vertical platform lift at the entry is usually the better fit. We look at the inside and outside together so the plan covers the whole trip from the driveway to the bedroom.
About 20.5 percent of Steuben County residents are 65 or older, and the county's population has been declining and aging, from 93,584 in the 2020 census to an estimated 91,855 in 2025. Adult children who moved away for work and parents still living in the family farmhouse in Cohocton or Prattsburgh are a common pairing.
About 72.9 percent of households own their home, which matters because several funding programs below are open only to owner-occupants.
No program in the sources we reviewed names stair lifts by name as a covered item, so plan on asking each one directly. The best first call is the Steuben County Office for the Aging at (607) 664-2298, 3 E. Pulteney Square in Bath. Its own page says grants and low interest loans for home repairs and home modifications are available through various agencies, and staff can point you to them.
For homeowners, Arbor Housing and Development is the closest local match because its rehabilitation grants list home modifications for persons with physical disabilities. Veterans should call the Steuben County Veterans' Service Agency at (607) 664-2198 at 7001 County Route 113 in Bath, but know that the VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides.
Statewide, households can also ask about New York Medicaid Home Modifications (NHTD Waiver & MLTC), the New York RESTORE Program and New York EISEP. Each program is summarized below.
The county's Area Agency on Aging offers case management, in-home services and referrals for residents 60 and older, and points people to agencies that fund home repairs and home modifications; stair lifts are not listed by name. Call (607) 664-2298.
A state grant for accessibility changes for people with a documented disability and household income at or below 80% of area median income (120% for eligible veterans), in owned or rented primary homes. Listed work includes ramps, lifts, handrails, doorway widening and roll-in showers, but stair lifts are not named, and it runs through local administrators.
Grants for Steuben County homeowners for health, safety and structural repairs, including home modifications for persons with physical disabilities; stair lifts are not itemized by name. Applicants must have owned and lived in the home for at least 12 months, carry homeowners insurance and meet income limits; call (607) 654-7487.
Federal low interest loans, and grants generally for elderly applicants unable to repay, to help very-low-income rural homeowners improve their homes or remove health and safety hazards; Steuben County is an eligible rural area. Stair lifts are not listed, so ask case by case at (844) 872-4681.
A lifetime VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000, depending on disability status, for medically necessary structural changes, but stair glides are explicitly excluded. The Steuben County Veterans' Service Agency at (607) 664-2198 can help with other VA options.
VA grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA (FY2026), with TRA for adapting a family member's home; stair lifts are not mentioned by name. Call (607) 664-2198 for help applying.
A free equipment loan program for people with disabilities of any age, run from offices including Corning, covering items from wheelchairs and ramps to communication devices; stair lifts are not named. Call (607) 962-8225.
Older adults
3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath, 14810
Veterans
7001 County Route 113, Bath, 14810
The Office for the Aging serves residents 60 and older, but the NYS Access to Home Program is based on disability and income, not age. AIM Independent Living Center serves people with disabilities of any age at (607) 962-8225.
Not through HISA, which explicitly excludes stair glides. SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts by name, so call the Steuben County Veterans' Service Agency at (607) 664-2198 to ask about your situation.
Arbor lists home modifications for persons with physical disabilities as an eligible repair, but it does not name stair lifts. You need to have owned and lived in your Steuben County home for at least 12 months, carry homeowners insurance and meet income limits. Call (607) 654-7487.
Some programs allow it. The NYS Access to Home Program covers owner-occupied or rental primary homes, and VA HISA applies to owned or rented homes, though HISA excludes stair glides. Arbor and USDA Section 504 are for owner-occupants.
Usually, yes. A turning or landing staircase needs a curved rail made to fit those exact stairs, so we measure in person before ordering.
It is at 3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath, NY 14810. The phone number is (607) 664-2298.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
