From Archdale and Trinity in the north to Seagrove, Ramseur and Staley farther south, Randolph County is spread across nine towns and a lot of open country in between. Asheboro, the county seat and home to the North Carolina Zoological Park, is the most built-up. Much of the rest is small communities like Liberty and Franklinville, where homes sit on rolling or hilly lots.
That mix matters when you are thinking about a stair lift. A split-level house near Randleman, a townhouse in Asheboro and a hillside home near the Uwharrie National Forest each call for a different setup. This page walks through what fits where, and which programs may help pay for it.
Much of the county's housing is older single-family homes and detached houses, and many of them have an interior stairway between floors. A straight staircase with no turns or landings is the simplest case. A straight stair lift mounts to the stair treads, not the wall, and usually leaves the stairs usable for everyone else.
Split-level homes are different. They often have two short flights with a landing or a turn between them. Those layouts may need either two straight lifts or one curved rail that follows the turn, so we measure each flight before recommending anything.
Newer single-story construction around Asheboro may not need an interior lift at all. In those homes, the question is usually the few steps up to the front or back door.
Randolph County sits in the central Piedmont, and its central and western parts hold the Uwharrie Mountains and the Caraway Mountains. Those peaks rarely top 1,000 feet, but they rise 200-500 feet above their base, so the land around them rolls and climbs. Plenty of home sites and driveways here have real grade changes.
On a sloped lot, the hardest stairs are often outside: steps from the driveway to the porch, or a long run down to a basement door. An outdoor stair lift is built to handle weather. Where a wheelchair has to come along too, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat-style lift.
Travel distances in the rural parts of the county can be long, for installers and for aging or modification agencies doing home assessments. It helps to plan ahead and have stair measurements and photos ready when you call.
Townhouses usually have one straight flight inside, which suits a standard straight lift. If you own the unit, check any association rules before installing anything on shared exterior steps.
Walk-up apartments are harder because the stairs are usually common space owned by someone else. Talk with the property owner first, since a lift on shared stairs needs their approval.
Many families here are dealing with a parent who still wants to live in the house they own but struggles with the stairs.
Veterans should know up front that the VA HISA grant explicitly excludes stair glides, though other VA and non-VA programs may still be worth asking about.
Only two of the programs listed below are described by their sources as covering home modifications: the NC Medicaid CAP/DA waiver and Bank of America Access Loans. CAP/DA has a combined modification, equipment and technology budget of $28,000 over the Nov. 1, 2024 - Oct. 31, 2029 waiver period, raised from $13,000.
Other programs, such as the USDA Section 504 repair program and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council deferred loan, pay for repairs and in some cases accessibility modifications, but their sources do not name stair lifts. Call and ask directly before you count on them.
Statewide, North Carolina also has the NC Innovations Waiver, the Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C), and the Elderly or Disabled Property Tax Homestead Exclusion (G.S. 105-277.1). For local help sorting through options, the Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA is at 1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive, Kernersville 27284, (336) 904-0300. Randolph County Veterans Services is in the Shaw Building, 158 Worth Street, Asheboro 27203, (336) 318-6909.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who meet a nursing-facility level of care, with a budget category for equipment, technology and home modifications. Items need prior authorization through the plan of care; call (919) 568-1717.
The CAP/DA renewal raised the combined modification, equipment and technology limit from $13,000 to $28,000 over the Nov. 1, 2024 - Oct. 31, 2029 waiver period; the notice does not name stair lifts specifically. Call (888) 245-0179.
The regional Area Agency on Aging administers Older Americans Act funding for a 12-county region that includes Randolph County. Current program details and stair lift coverage are not listed, so call (336) 904-0300 to ask.
An interest-free, deferred loan forgiven at $3,000 per year of continued occupancy, for housing repairs including accessibility modifications, open to homeowners 62 and older, Social Security or Disability recipients, veterans, and some households with young children exposed to lead paint. Stair lifts are not named; call (336) 904-0300.
Loans up to $40,000 and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income owners in eligible rural areas, with grants limited to homeowners 62 and older and repayable if the home is sold within 3 years. Stair lifts are not listed as covered; call (919) 873-2000.
Provides up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically necessary home alterations for veterans, but stair glides are explicitly excluded. Randolph County Veterans Services can help with other options at (336) 318-6909.
Grants of up to $126,526 (SAH) or $25,350 (SHA) for FY2026 for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities who own their home; the source gives ramps and wider doorways as examples and does not mention stair lifts. Call (877) 827-3702.
Points people with documented disabilities to funding such as the Self-Help Credit Union low-interest assistive technology loans and Easter Seals-UCP NC emergency grants. Stair lifts are not named; call (980) 296-6790.
Customized loans for vehicle and home modification, listed by NCATP as a funding resource. Eligibility is not detailed, so call (800) 900-9000 (TTY 1-800-833-2632).
A Greensboro-based center serving Randolph and four nearby counties with advocacy, peer counseling, information and referral, and skills training rather than direct funding. Stair lifts are not listed; call (336) 419-0784.
Older adults
1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive, Kernersville, 27284
Veterans
Shaw Building, 158 Worth Street, Asheboro, 27203
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH and SHA grants do not mention stair lifts either, so ask Randolph County Veterans Services at (336) 318-6909 what else may apply.
The CAP/DA waiver includes a budget for modifications, equipment and technology, now $28,000 over the Nov. 1, 2024 - Oct. 31, 2029 waiver period. You must meet a nursing-facility level of care, and items need prior authorization.
Yes, possibly. CAP/DA is open to adults 18 and older who qualify, and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council deferred loan also accepts Social Security or Disability recipients and veterans, not only people 62 and older.
Outdoor stair lifts are made for exterior steps, and a platform lift can work where a wheelchair is involved. Grade changes are common on Randolph County lots, so an in-home measurement is the first step.
Only if you sell the home within 3 years. Grants go up to $10,000 lifetime for homeowners 62 and older, though stair lifts are not listed as a covered use.
The Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA in Kernersville, at (336) 904-0300, handles aging services for Randolph County. Veterans can start with Randolph County Veterans Services in Asheboro at (336) 318-6909.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
