Akron's older neighborhoods tell you a lot about the stairs we see on install day. Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park were built by the rubber companies to house their workers, with homes based on mail-order plans, and West Hill holds stately older homes, including the Oakdale Historic District. Many of these houses put the bedrooms and the full bathroom upstairs.
Outside Akron, the county stretches across 27 towns, from Cuyahoga Falls, Stow and Barberton to Hudson, Twinsburg, Green and Peninsula. The housing mix runs from single-family homes and split-level homes to duplexes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. This page covers which kind of lift tends to fit those homes and which programs in Summit County may help with the cost.
Akron grew fast in the early 1900s, and a lot of the multi-story homes from that boom are still standing. When the only bathroom is on the second floor, getting up the stairs safely becomes the main question for anyone who wants to stay put.
A single straight run of stairs is the simplest and usually the quickest install. Older homes often have a landing, a turn near the top, or a narrow stairway, and those cases call for a curved rail built to the exact shape of the steps. We measure before recommending either one.
Split-level homes usually have several short flights instead of one long one. Depending on which floors a person actually needs to reach, that can mean one lift on the most-used flight, a curved rail that follows a turn, or more than one straight lift.
Townhouses tend to have steep, enclosed stairways, so rail placement and space at the top and bottom matter. In duplexes and walk-up apartments, the owner of the building needs to be part of the conversation before anything is installed, since about half of Akron's housing units are renter-occupied.
Summit County is not flat. It has river valleys and elevated ground, and the northern part of the county holds the largest share of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Homes on sloped lots often have steps from the driveway or sidewalk up to the front door.
For those exterior steps, an outdoor stair lift built for weather exposure is one option. When someone uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat, a platform lift is the type to look at instead. Both need a site visit, because the ground and the steps decide what can go in.
About 18.6% of the county's 478,620 residents are 65 or older, and 65.9% of households own their home. Owners can generally make changes to their stairs without a landlord's approval, which keeps the process simpler.
VA rules on stair lifts are specific, so veterans should read the program notes below before applying.
Several programs here cover home modifications. The local Area Agency on Aging, Direction Home Akron Canton, is the usual first call for older adults. It handles PASSPORT locally and runs the Staying Home Program. Its office is at 1949 Town Park Boulevard, Uniontown 44685, phone (330) 896-9172.
Homeowners with lower incomes outside Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls can look at the county's Housing Rehabilitation Program. Veterans can call the Summit County Veterans Service Commission at (330) 643-2830, 1060 E. Waterloo Road, Akron 44306. Each program is summarized below.
A state Medicaid waiver for people 65 and older, or 60 to 64 with a qualifying disability, who meet nursing facility level of care. Covered services include home modifications, and it is administered in Summit County through Direction Home Akron Canton; call (866) 243-5678.
A free in-home assessment and care-coordination program for older adults and people with disabilities who want to stay in their homes, and it lists minor home modifications among its services. It connects residents to the PASSPORT, Ohio Home Care and Assisted Living Medicaid waivers that pay for the work; call (877) 770-5558.
Offers 0% interest deferred forgivable loans and repayable loans up to 20 years for low-to-moderate income homeowners outside Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls, with ADA modifications named as an eligible repair type. Call (330) 643-2537 to ask how a stair lift fits under that category.
A VA grant of up to $6,800 or $2,000 lifetime for medically justified home changes for disabled veterans. It explicitly excludes stair glides and porch lifts, covering only permanent structural alterations such as built ramps or bathroom changes.
VA grants for veterans with certain severe service-connected disabilities, with SAH up to $126,526 and SHA up to $25,350 for FY2026, to buy, build or change a permanent home. The source does not mention stair lifts specifically.
Loans up to $40,000 at 1% and grants up to $10,000 for very low income homeowners in USDA-eligible rural areas, with grants limited to those 62 and older. Accessibility modifications are named in general terms, but stair lifts are not listed, and eligibility must be confirmed on USDA's address map.
Older adults
1949 Town Park Boulevard, Uniontown, 44685
Veterans
1060 E. Waterloo Road, Akron, 44306
Not through the HISA grant, which explicitly excludes stair glides. The SAH, SHA and TRA grants do not mention stair lifts by name, so a veteran should ask the Summit County Veterans Service Commission at (330) 643-2830 about their own case.
No. That program covers Summit County outside Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls, because those three cities run their own separate repair programs.
PASSPORT accepts people 60 to 64 who have a qualifying disability. USDA Section 504 loans have no age limit, though its grants are limited to homeowners 62 and older.
Call the Staying Home Program at (877) 770-5558 to ask for the free in-home assessment. That visit determines which services and Medicaid waivers a person may qualify for.
Usually, yes. Because split-levels have several short flights, the answer may be one lift on the flight that matters most, a curved rail, or more than one straight lift, and a measurement decides which.
For 2026 the monthly income limit is $2,982 for an individual, and countable assets are limited to $2,000 for a single person or $3,000 for a married couple both applying.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
