Hoke County stretches across the Sandhills and Coastal Plain of south-central North Carolina, about 20 miles southwest of Fayetteville. Its towns include Raeford, Rockfish, Five Points, Silver City and Ashley Heights, with Fort Bragg Military Reservation taking up roughly the northern third of the county.
The homes here range from older farmhouses and ranch homes to manufactured housing, split-level homes, townhouses and newer suburban-style single-family houses built near the Fort Bragg boundary. Each of these puts stairs in a different place, and that decides which kind of stair lift makes sense and how to pay for it.
Much of the county's older housing grew out of its farming and timber and turpentine past, which produced modest, often single-story farmhouses. Ranch homes and manufactured or mobile homes are also common in the rural parts of the county. In a one-story house, the problem stairs are usually the ones at the front or back door, not inside.
For those entry steps, an outdoor stair lift built to handle weather is one option. If someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a vertical platform lift at the entry is often the better fit. We look at the steps, the landing and the ground around them before recommending either.
Split-level homes have short flights between levels, so a person may need a lift on more than one set of stairs. Sometimes one flight is straight and the next turns, which can mean two separate units or one curved rail.
Townhouses and many of the newer single-family homes around Raeford and near Fort Bragg tend to have a single straight staircase. A straight stair lift mounts to the treads, not the wall, and is usually the simplest install. Stairs with a landing, a turn or a curve need a custom curved rail, which takes measuring and more lead time.
VA benefits are worth checking, but read the fine print: the VA HISA grant specifically excludes stair glides, so it will not pay for a stair lift.
The VA Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation grants fund accessibility remodeling for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, though the VA page does not name stair lifts as an example. The Hoke County Veteran’s Service Office at 129 W Elwood Avenue in Raeford, (910) 875-2147, can help a veteran sort out which benefits apply.
None of the programs listed below names stair lifts outright, and one, VA HISA, excludes them. Several do fund accessibility or mobility modifications in general, so it is worth asking each one directly whether a stair lift qualifies in your case.
For older homeowners, start with the Lumber River Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging at (910) 775-9700 and the county's Home Repair Program at (910) 875-8751, administered from the Pratt Building at 227 N Main Street in Raeford. Hoke County qualifies as rural under USDA Rural Development, which opens the door to Section 504 repair loans and grants. Homeowners who are elderly or disabled can also ask about the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1).
A state aging-services program for people 60 or older that funds mobility and accessibility improvements, among other categories, up to $7,000 per person per program year; stair lifts are not named specifically. Hoke County is served through Lumber River Council of Governments at (910) 775-9700.
The Area Agency on Aging for Hoke County helps low-to-moderate income residents 60 or older with ramps, new steps, hand railings and grab bars, with a waiting list; stair lifts are not named on its page. Call (910) 775-9700.
An unsecured, deferred, interest-free loan of up to $12,000, forgiven at $3,000 per year, for owner-occupants within target boundaries when a grant cycle is awarded; accessibility modifications are an eligible category, but stair lifts are not itemized. Call (910) 875-8751.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care but want to stay home; the reviewed page does not list stair lifts or home modifications, so confirm covered services with your case manager. Call (888) 245-0179.
A statewide waiver for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who meet an ICF/IID level of care; whether it covers stair lifts or home modifications could not be confirmed. Call (888) 245-0179.
Very-low-income rural homeowners can get 1% loans repaid over 20 years, and those 62 or older can get grants up to $10,000 lifetime for health and safety hazards; stair lifts and accessibility modifications are not named in the reviewed source.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for permanent home alterations tied to a qualifying disability. It does not cover stair lifts; the VA explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) in FY2026 for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities to build, buy or remodel an accessible home; stair lifts are not named among the examples. Call (800) 827-1000.
An interest-free, deferred, forgivable loan for elderly or disabled homeowners at or below 80% of area median income, focused on health and safety repairs; stair lifts are not listed and local partner availability should be checked. Call (919) 877-5700.
Funds emergency repairs and modifications, with up to $15,000 per homeowner as a deferred, forgiven loan, for households at or below 50% of area median income that include an elderly, disabled or veteran member; stair lifts are not itemized. Call (919) 981-2623.
Older adults
130 Gillespie St., Fayetteville, 28301
Veterans
129 W Elwood Avenue, Raeford, 28376
No. The VA HISA page explicitly excludes stair glides, porch lifts and portable ramps. Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities can ask about SAH or SHA grants at (800) 827-1000, or get help from the Hoke County Veteran’s Service Office at (910) 875-2147.
Yes. The Lumber River Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging and the NC DHHS Home and Community Care Block Grant program both serve people 60 and older, and both can be reached at (910) 775-9700. Neither names stair lifts specifically, so ask whether one qualifies as a mobility or accessibility improvement.
Yes, Hoke County qualifies as rural under USDA Rural Development. Section 504 grants require the homeowner to be 62 or older with very low income, and the reviewed source does not name stair lifts as an eligible use.
Often the stairs that cause trouble in a single-story home are the entry steps outside. An outdoor stair lift or a vertical platform lift can handle those, depending on whether the person can transfer to a seat.
The Hoke County Government Home Repair Program is administered from the Pratt Building at 227 N Main Street in Raeford, and the phone is (910) 875-8751. Applications open when a grant cycle is awarded to the county.
Yes, though split-level homes have short flights between levels, so you may need a lift on more than one flight. Straight flights take a straight rail, and any flight with a turn needs a curved one.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
