Reidsville grew up around mill operations like Cone Mills and Burlington Industries, and a lot of the worker housing from that era still stands. Many of those older homes are two stories with their original interior stairways, the kind of staircase that was never built with a chair rail or a lift in mind. Similar older housing turns up in Eden, Mayodan, Madison, Stoneville, Ruffin and Wentworth.
Getting to the house can be its own problem. The county sits in the Piedmont foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Reidsville itself was settled on a ridge between Wolf Island and Little Troublesome creeks at roughly 732 feet. That means gentle slopes, porch steps and yards that rarely sit flat. This page walks through which kind of stair lift fits the homes here and which local and state programs can help with the cost.
The oldest known house in Reidsville dates to 1842. The Reidsville Historic District and the Richardson Houses Historic District are both on the National Register of Historic Places, and the county has a large base of multi-level homes built long before anyone planned for accessibility.
Older interior stairways are often narrow, steep, or turn at a landing. A straight staircase usually takes a straight rail lift, which is the simplest install. A stair that turns or has a landing partway up needs a curved rail built to that exact staircase, so we measure on site before quoting anything.
In historic homes we also check how the rail mounts. Stair lifts attach to the stair treads rather than the wall, which matters when the plaster, trim or banister is original and worth keeping.
Housing here runs from single-family and detached houses to townhouses, walk-up apartments and split-level homes. Each one changes the job.
A split-level home has short flights between floors, so the question is which flight the person actually uses every day. A townhouse often has a long, straight flight, which suits a straight rail. In a walk-up apartment, the shared stairway belongs to the building, so the owner or landlord has to be part of the conversation before any work starts.
The county's Piedmont terrain means many homes have front or back steps leading down to the driveway or yard. When those outside steps are the real barrier, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one answer.
Where there are only a few steps but a wheelchair is involved, a vertical platform lift may make more sense than a chair. We look at the grade, the number of steps and how the person moves before suggesting one or the other.
According to the 2020 census, the county had a median age of 45.6, and seniors 65 and older made up 21.5% of the population. Owner-occupied homes accounted for 68.8% of housing units, so many older residents own the house they plan to stay in.
About 61% of people live in rural communities rather than towns, which can make it harder for outreach services to reach remote households. If you live out past the town limits, it is worth calling the agencies below directly rather than waiting to hear from them.
Textiles and tobacco declined sharply from the 1990s through the 2000s, and the state still classified the county as economically distressed in 2023. The poverty rate is about 18%, and median household income for 2017-2021 was about $46,993. For many families, paying out of pocket is hard, so the programs below matter.
Aging, Disability & Transit Services (ADTS) of Rockingham County at (336) 349-2343 is the local door for both CAP/DA case management and the Home and Community Care Block Grant services. The regional Area Agency on Aging is Region G - Piedmont Triad Regional Council AAA in Kernersville, at (336) 904-0300.
Veterans should know that the VA's HISA grant does not cover stair glides. The Rockingham County Veterans Service Office at 525 US Highway 65 in Reidsville, (336) 342-8449, can help sort out which VA benefits apply.
A Medicaid waiver for adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care, and it does cover stair lifts through its equipment, modification and technology service, approved case by case with no published statewide dollar cap. Apply through ADTS of Rockingham County, or call (888) 245-0179.
For people age 60 or older with no one able and willing to do the work, this covers stair lifts under mobility and accessibility improvements, capped at $7,000 per individual per program year, though local agencies choose which categories they offer. Locally it runs through ADTS at (336) 349-2343; the state line is (800) 662-7030.
Helps elderly or special-needs homeowners with low income, and it covers stair lifts as accessibility modifications, with local partner organizations setting income limits and managing the work. Call (919) 877-5700.
Funds permanent changes like ramps, widened doorways and roll-in showers for veterans with a VA prescription, up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime depending on the disability, but it does not cover stair lifts. Call (800) 827-1000.
Grants for homeowning veterans with severe service-connected disabilities, up to $126,526 for SAH and $25,350 for SHA in FY2026; the source does not list stair lifts among covered items. Call (800) 827-1000.
The county's entry point for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers, handling CAP/DA case management, home care, meals, the LEAF Adult Day Program and transit; it does not list a stair lift benefit of its own. Call (336) 349-2343.
Competitive housing repair grants that county or town governments apply for, not individual homeowners, and the source does not list stair lifts or accessibility work. Call (919) 814-4600.
Older adults
1398 Carrollton Crossing Drive, Kernersville, 27284
Veterans
525 US Highway 65, Reidsville, 27320
Not through HISA, which specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. The SAH and SHA grants do not list stair lifts either way. Call the Rockingham County Veterans Service Office at (336) 342-8449 to talk through your situation.
The block grant program requires age 60 or older, but CAP/DA serves adults 18 and older who need a nursing-facility level of care. ADTS at (336) 349-2343 handles CAP/DA case management in the county.
Start with ADTS of Rockingham County at (336) 349-2343. They are the local contact for both CAP/DA and the Home and Community Care Block Grant services, so one call can point you to the right program.
Usually, yes. A turning stair needs a curved rail made to fit that staircase, while a straight flight can take a standard straight rail. We measure the stairs in person to know which one fits.
Yes. ADTS serves residents across Rockingham County. Since about 61% of residents live in rural communities, outreach can be thinner in remote areas, so call them directly instead of waiting.
The cap is $7,000 per person per program year, and it can go toward mobility and accessibility improvements if your local provider offers that category. Whether it covers the full job depends on your stairs, so get a measured quote and ask ADTS what is available.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
