Anson County is a place of small towns spread across open country: Wadesboro, the county seat since 1783, along with Polkton, Lilesville, Ansonville, Peachland and Morven. Many of the homes here are long-held single-family houses from the county's agricultural and textile-mill era, built well before anyone thought about accessible design.
That history shapes how a stair lift goes in. An older staircase can be narrow, steep or oddly turned, and a house on the rolling land toward the Pee Dee River valley may have steps outside as well as in. This page walks through what that means for your home and where Anson County residents can look for help paying for the work.
The median owner-occupied home in Anson County is valued at $148,600, roughly half the North Carolina state median. These are modest, practical homes, and most have been in the same hands for a long time. About 59.4% of households here own their home, which matters because most funding programs and most installations start with an owner who can approve changes.
Older single-family construction often means one straight flight to a second floor or down to a basement. A straight staircase is usually the simplest stair lift job: the rail mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, so plaster and old trim stay untouched. If the flight has a landing or a turn, the rail has to be custom bent to that exact shape, which is the curved option.
Ranch-style homes in the county are mostly one level, but many still have a few steps at the entry or a stair down to a basement or lower room. Those short runs are often where a fall happens, and a short straight lift or an outdoor unit can solve it.
Split-level homes are a different puzzle. They tend to have two or more short half flights instead of one long one. Each half flight can get its own straight lift, or a single curved rail can carry the rider through the turn. We measure every step before recommending either approach.
The county's terrain runs from flat and rolling farmland to the rugged hills of the Pee Dee River valley in the northeast. A house set on a slope often has a run of porch or yard steps before you even reach the front door.
Outdoor stair lifts are built for weather exposure and can be mounted on exterior steps or a deck stair. For someone who uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the option to ask about instead, since it carries the person in the chair.
Anson County's median age is 41.9 years, about 10% above state and national figures, and 17.6% of residents are 65 or older. Many older residents are aging in the same houses where they raised families, which is exactly the situation a stair lift is meant for.
That makes the VA programs below worth a close look, along with a call to the county's Veteran Services office at 575 US Hwy 52 South in Wadesboro, (704) 465-0086.
The 2024 median household income in the county was $47,302, so cost is a real concern for many families. Several programs fund home modifications for older or disabled residents, though most of the sources reviewed do not name stair lifts specifically. That means you should call and ask directly before counting on any of them.
A good first stop is Anson County Senior Services at (704) 694-6616, which connects residents to the regional aging network. The Region F Centralina Regional Council AAA in Charlotte can be reached at (704) 348-2712. The full list of programs, with what each one says about home modifications, is below.
A Medicaid waiver for disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing facility level of care but can be served safely at home; one approved service category is 'Equipment, modification and technology,' but stair lifts are not named and no dollar cap is stated. Referrals go through NC LIFTSS at (888) 245-0179.
Serves people 60 or older with no one able and willing to do the work, up to $7,000 per individual per program year, and one possible category is mobility and accessibility improvements; stair lifts are not listed by name, and which categories Anson County funds should be confirmed. Call (800) 662-7030.
Repairs for income-qualified homeowners who are 62 or older, disabled, veterans or meet other listed criteria, aimed at conditions that are harmful or would force a homeowner to move out; accessibility equipment and stair lifts are not itemized. Applications are being accepted for Anson County, call (704) 296-9414.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed interest over 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners 62 or older who cannot repay a loan; accessibility work such as ramps is cited, but stair lifts are not named. Call (919) 873-2000.
A grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically prescribed home modifications for veterans with qualifying disabilities; the VA specifically excludes stair glides, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 469-8262.
Up to $126,526 for FY2026 to buy, build or modify a permanent home for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities; stair lifts are not named in the covered improvements. Ask the county Veteran Services office at (704) 465-0086 for help applying.
Up to $25,350 for FY2026 to adapt a permanent home for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands; stair lifts are not named on the official page reviewed.
The county Senior Center is a referral point into the regional aging network and offers In-Home Aide Services, but it does not list a home modification or stair lift program of its own. Call (704) 694-6616 for current referrals.
Older adults
9815 David Taylor Drive, Suite 100, Charlotte, 28262
Veterans
575 US Hwy 52 South, Wadesboro, 28170
Not through the HISA grant, which specifically excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants fund home modifications for veterans with certain severe disabilities, but stair lifts are not named, so ask Veteran Services in Wadesboro at (704) 465-0086 how they apply to your situation.
Yes. Housing and Home Improvement Assistance serves people 60 and older, up to $7,000 per individual per program year, and may include mobility and accessibility improvements. Call Anson County Senior Services at (704) 694-6616 to find out what is funded locally right now.
The CAP/DA waiver includes a service category called 'Equipment, modification and technology,' but stair lifts are not named and no cap is given. To ask about a referral, call NC LIFTSS at (888) 245-0179.
Usually, yes. Split-level homes have short half flights, so each one can get a straight lift, or a curved rail can run through the turn. A measurement of your stairs decides which makes sense.
The Union-Anson County Habitat for Humanity Urgent Repair Program is accepting applications for Anson County. It covers repairs for conditions that are harmful or would force you to move, for income-qualified homeowners who are 62 or older, disabled, veterans or meet other criteria; call (704) 296-9414 to ask whether your project fits.
Anson County Senior Services at (704) 694-6616 is the local front door to aging services. The Region F Centralina Regional Council AAA can also be reached at (704) 348-2712.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
