From Gaston and Garysburg near the Roanoke River to Rich Square, Woodland, Conway, Seaboard and the county seat at Jackson, Northampton County is a place of small towns and scattered farmsteads. Many homes here grew out of farmhouse and small-town building traditions, and plenty still have the original multi-step entries and interior stairways.
Those older stairways are where a stair lift earns its keep. This page walks through how the county's homes and land shape the kind of lift that fits, and which local, state and federal programs are worth a phone call when it comes time to pay.
The county's housing runs from single-family homes and ranch-style homes to split-level homes and some low-rise buildings. Historic places like the Peebles House, Lee-Grant Farm and the Duke-Lawrence House show how deep the farmhouse tradition goes here.
A straight staircase in a single-family home is usually the simplest install. Older farmhouse stairs can turn, narrow or have landings, and those often call for a curved lift built to the exact shape of the stairway.
Split-level homes tend to have short flights between levels, sometimes more than one. Ranch-style homes may have few interior stairs but still have steps at the front or back door, which is where an outdoor lift can help.
Most of the county sits on the flat-to-gently-rolling upper coastal plain, with only the far northwestern corner reaching into the piedmont plateau. Flat ground makes it easier to approach a porch or entry with an outdoor lift, since there is less grading to work around.
The harder part is distance. Northampton County covers 536.59 square miles of largely rural, dispersed settlement, so homes near Occoneechee Neck or out past Gumberry and Panther Swamps can be a long drive from service providers. When you plan a lift, ask how service visits will work for your address.
About 28.5% of residents here are 65 or older, and 59.4% are homeowners. For many families that means a parent who wants to stay in a home they own but is finding the stairs harder each year.
Veterans should know that VA programs treat stair lifts differently from ramps and doorway changes, which is covered below.
No program in the facts we reviewed names stair lifts as a covered item, so the honest answer is that coverage depends on the program and your situation. Several programs do fund home modifications or accessibility changes in general terms, and those are worth asking about directly.
For low-income older homeowners, the NC Housing Finance Agency Urgent Repair Program, delivered locally through CADA, and the USDA Section 504 repair program are the closest fits. Medicaid-eligible adults can ask a CAP/DA case manager about its equipment and modification category.
The VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, so veterans should not count on it for a lift. The Northampton County Veteran Service Office in Jackson can help sort out which VA benefits apply. North Carolina also has the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion, which is a separate statewide program worth asking about.
A Medicaid waiver for disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care; its services include an 'Equipment, modification and technology' category, but stair lifts are not listed by name. Call NC Medicaid at (888) 245-0179 to be routed to a case manager.
The regional aging agency for Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton and Wilson counties, handling intake, information and referral for aging programs; stair lifts are not listed. Call (252) 234-5952 and confirm current details, since this information was not re-verified.
An information and referral hub for county residents 60 and older, plus medical and nutritional transportation; the office does not list stair lifts or home modifications. Call (252) 574-0229.
A nonprofit serving low-income homeowners, with a service center for Northampton County and programs including weatherization; stair lifts are not listed. Call (252) 539-4155 to ask whether mobility equipment is part of a home visit.
An interest-free, deferred loan forgiven at $5,000 per year of continued occupancy for elderly or special-needs homeowners below 50% of area median income; it can pay for accessibility modifications after an injury or serious illness, though stair lifts are not named. Call (919) 877-5700.
Repair loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for homeowners 62 and older who cannot repay a loan, for very-low-income owners in rural areas like Northampton County; stair lifts are not listed. Call (919) 873-2000 and confirm current figures, which were not re-verified.
Helps veterans and dependents with VA benefit applications, counseling and representation; it does not fund stair lifts itself. Call (252) 705-1452 or visit 9467 Highway 305, Jackson.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home changes, but it explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, so it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for veterans with qualifying severe service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for a permanent home; examples given are ramps and wider doorways, and stair lifts are not named. Call (800) 827-1000.
Older adults
121 W. Main St., Williamston, 27892
Veterans
9467 Highway 305, Jackson, 27845
The HISA grant does not; it explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not name stair lifts either, so ask the Northampton County Veteran Service Office at (252) 705-1452 about your specific case.
Yes. The Northampton County Office on Aging serves residents 60 and above with information, referral and transportation. Call (252) 574-0229.
The NC Housing Finance Agency says it can pay for accessibility modifications that let you stay home after an injury or serious illness, for eligible homeowners below 50% of area median income. Stair lifts are not named, so ask CADA or call (919) 877-5700.
If the stairway turns or has a landing, a curved lift built to that stairway is usually needed. A straight flight can take a standard straight lift.
Yes, but the county is large and rural, so ask up front how installation and later service visits will reach your home.
CAP/DA serves disabled adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care. Call NC Medicaid at (888) 245-0179.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
