Camden County is mostly farm country and open wetland. It sits between the Albemarle Sound and the Pasquotank River, with the southern end of the Dismal Swamp Canal inside its borders. As of the 2020 census, 94.8% of residents lived in rural areas. Most people here live in or around Camden, the county seat, or South Mills, and a small piece of Elizabeth City reaches across the line from Pasquotank County.
The homes reflect that history. The county's National Register listings, such as the William Riley Abbott House, Caleb Grandy House, Lamb-Ferebee House and Milford/Relfe-Grice-Sawyer House, date from its 19th-century rural settlement period. Around them you find single-family homes, detached houses, split-level homes, ranch-style homes and a few low-rise buildings. Many are long-held, owner-occupied houses, which is exactly where a stair lift often makes sense for someone who wants to stay put.
A straight stair lift fits a single run of stairs with no turns or landings. It is the simplest and quickest to install, and many detached and single-family homes in the county have this kind of staircase.
Older farmhouses are a different job. Staircases from the 19th century can be narrow, steep or turn partway up. Those usually call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the stairs, so we measure every step before recommending anything.
Split-level homes bring their own puzzle: several short flights instead of one long one. Depending on the layout, that can mean one curved lift that follows the turns or separate lifts on different flights.
A ranch-style home may have no indoor stairs at all, yet the front or back steps can still be the hardest part of the day. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can carry a person up those steps to the door.
For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift may be the better choice. It raises the chair and rider together, so there is no transfer to a seat. On flat, low-lying land like Camden County's, the entry steps are often the only change in height, which keeps the project small.
With most of the county rural, homes can be spread out between Camden, South Mills and the farm roads in between. It helps to plan ahead: get the stairs measured, talk through who in the household will use the lift, and decide early whether an indoor, outdoor or platform model is the right fit.
Adult children who live elsewhere in the Hampton Roads area often handle these calls for a parent. A single visit to the house usually answers most questions about fit, power outlets and where the lift will park when not in use.
Camden County is served by the Albemarle Commission, the regional aging agency for Region R. Its home repair programs cover ramps and accessibility improvements, though stair lifts are not named outright. The Region R - Albemarle Commission AAA office at 512 S. Church St., Hertford, 27944 can be reached at (252) 426-5753 and can say which program fits your situation.
The one program in our list that plainly covers lifts is the NC Innovations Waiver, which pays for home changes like ramps or a lift for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Veterans should talk to Camden County Veterans Services at 1023 US 17 South, Suite 2, Elizabeth City, 27909, phone (252) 664-1150, about VA grants and VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics). Other statewide options worth asking about include the Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C) and the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1).
The regional aging-services hub for Camden and nine other counties, with most programs aimed at people 60 and older; it does not list stair lifts but can refer you to home-repair programs. Call (252) 426-5753.
Funds meals, in-home aides, transportation, legal help and caregiver services for socially and economically needy people 60 and older; stair lifts and home modifications are not listed. Call (252) 426-8244.
A deferred, forgivable loan for owner-occupants who are 62 or older, disabled, a veteran or in another listed group, with income at or below 80% of county median; it covers ramps and accessibility improvements, but stair lifts are not named. Call (252) 426-5753.
An emergency repair grant for very-low and low-income homeowners with special needs, such as frail elderly or disabled residents, facing an imminent threat to life or safety; it provides accessibility modifications, though stair lifts are not named. Call (252) 426-5753.
Forgivable, interest-free loans for critical repairs for households at or below 80% of statewide median income with an elderly, disabled or veteran member; it rotates among Region R counties on a 3-year cycle, and stair lifts are not listed. Call (252) 426-5753.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care and want services at home; the official page does not itemize stair lifts. Call (888) 245-0179.
A Medicaid waiver for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities that covers changes to make a home accessible, like ramps or a lift, subject to plan approval; a statewide waitlist applies. Call (800) 510-9132.
A VA grant of up to $126,526 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own or will own the home; examples include ramps and wider doorways, and stair lifts are not named. Camden County Veterans Services at (252) 664-1150 can help with the application.
A VA grant of up to $25,350 for veterans with qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of both hands or certain respiratory injuries; stair lifts are not named. Camden County Veterans Services at (252) 664-1150 can help.
A free, confidential referral line open to all North Carolina residents that can point you to aging and home-modification resources; it does not fund stair lifts itself. Call (888) 892-1162.
Older adults
512 S. Church St., Hertford, 27944
Veterans
1023 US 17 South, Suite 2, Elizabeth City, 27909
Usually, yes. Older homes like the 19th-century houses found around Camden County often have narrow or turning stairs, which typically need a curved rail made to fit. We measure the stairs first to see what will work.
It depends on how the short flights connect. Sometimes one curved lift can follow the turns, and sometimes separate lifts on each flight make more sense. An in-home visit settles it.
The Albemarle Commission Home Repair Assistance program serves owner-occupants 62 and older, among other groups, with household income at or below 80% of county median. It covers accessibility improvements, though stair lifts are not named, so call (252) 426-5753 to ask.
The NC Innovations Waiver covers home changes like ramps or a lift for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, of any age or income, though there is a statewide waitlist. The number is (800) 510-9132.
Contact Camden County Veterans Services at (252) 664-1150, at 1023 US 17 South, Suite 2, in Elizabeth City. They can help with the VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Housing Adaptation grants.
Start with the Region R - Albemarle Commission AAA at (252) 426-5753, which serves Camden County directly. NC 211 at (888) 892-1162 can also point you to other local resources.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
