Forsyth County has 8 towns, from Winston-Salem and Kernersville to Clemmons, Lewisville, Walkertown, Rural Hall, Tobaccoville and Bethania. The older neighborhoods of Winston-Salem hold many two-story homes with their original staircases, and those are the houses where a stair lift most often comes up.
This page walks through how local homes and terrain affect the kind of lift that fits, and where Forsyth County families can look for help paying for one. Each program below is described only as far as its own source goes, so you know what to ask when you call.
Winston-Salem has a large share of pre-1950s multi-story homes. The West End Historic District covers 229 acres with buildings from 1887-1930, and the Ardmore Historic District is the city's largest neighborhood, with over 2,000 buildings.
Old Salem, the restored 1766 Moravian settlement, is about 70% original buildings. Original staircases in homes like these can be narrow, steep or turn at a landing.
A straight stair gets a straight rail. A staircase with a turn or landing usually needs a curved rail built to that exact stair, so a careful measurement matters more in these older houses than anywhere else in the county.
Housing here also includes single-family homes, detached houses, townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. Newer single-story suburban construction in the outlying parts of the county may not need a lift at all.
Split-level homes often have short runs of stairs between floors, which can suit a short straight lift. Townhouses usually stack living space over two or three floors, so the main question is whether the bedroom stair is straight or turns.
Walk-up apartments raise a different issue. Census data show 39.4% of housing units in the county are renter-occupied, and renters should get the owner's approval before any rail goes on a shared stair.
Forsyth County sits in the northwest Piedmont, in the outer foothills of the Appalachians. Elevation runs from about 660 feet along the Yadkin River in the southwest corner to about 1,100 feet near King.
That rise is modest, but a sloped lot can still mean steps from the driveway or porch up to the front door. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle those entry steps when the indoor stairs are not the only problem.
About 15.8% of Forsyth County residents are 65 or older, and 58.0% of residents are homeowners. Owning the home makes it simpler to install a lift and to qualify for some repair programs.
A veteran with a qualifying service-connected disability may have VA grant options, covered in the programs below, and the Clemmons VSC can help sort out eligibility.
None of the program sources reviewed for this page names stair lifts directly. Several do cover equipment, accessibility modifications or home repairs, so it is worth asking each one whether a lift can be included.
For adults who need a nursing-facility level of care, the CAP/DA waiver has an Equipment, Modification and Technology benefit capped at $28,000 over the 5-year waiver cycle. Senior Services Inc. is a local access point for that waiver.
Low-income older homeowners can ask about the NC Housing Finance Agency repair programs, which run through local partner agencies. The Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA in Kernersville is another place to start, at (336) 904-0300.
Other statewide programs to ask about include the NC Innovations Waiver, the Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C), VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics) and the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1).
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who meet a nursing-facility level of care, with an Equipment, Modification and Technology benefit capped at $28,000 over the 5-year cycle (up from $13,000 as of 11/1/2024). The source does not mention stair lifts specifically; call (833) 522-5429 to ask.
Federal grants for veterans and service members with qualifying service-connected disabilities who own the home or whose family member owns it, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026. The source lists ramps and widening doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts; the Clemmons VSC at (919) 664-1000 can help with an application.
State repair programs for low-income homeowners who are elderly or have special needs, run through local government and nonprofit partners that set income limits and project amounts. The source mentions accessibility modifications but not stair lifts; call (919) 877-5700 to find the local partner.
A county intake and referral department for older adults and people with disabilities living in Forsyth County, not a direct grant. The source does not mention stair lifts or home modifications; call (336) 703-2020 for a referral.
A local case-management access point for CAP/DA and CAP/Choice, for Medicaid-eligible people 65 and older or disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care. The source does not name a stair lift benefit; call (336) 725-0907 to ask about equipment through the waiver.
Older adults
1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive, Kernersville, 27284
Veterans
3802 Clemmons Rd., Suite C, Clemmons, 27012
Most staircases can take a lift. Straight stairs use a straight rail, while stairs that turn or have a landing need a curved rail made to measure, which is common in the older two-story homes of these districts.
Yes, possibly. The CAP/DA waiver and the Senior Services Inc. Living-at-Home program accept disabled adults 18 and older who meet a nursing-facility level of care and are Medicaid-eligible.
The CAP/DA waiver has an Equipment, Modification and Technology benefit capped at $28,000 over 5 years, but the reviewed source does not list stair lifts by name. Call NC Medicaid at (833) 522-5429 or Senior Services Inc. at (336) 725-0907 to ask.
SAH and SHA grants cover home adaptations for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, though the source does not mention stair lifts. The Clemmons VSC at 3802 Clemmons Rd., Suite C, can help at (919) 664-1000.
Yes. Sloped lots in the Piedmont foothills often mean outside steps, and an outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle the entry instead of, or along with, an indoor lift.
The Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA in Kernersville at (336) 904-0300 or Forsyth County Adult Services at (336) 703-2020 can point you to the right program.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
